


Your Wards or Me? PART I

by Aliasprick



Series: Monarchy [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Ash has harem because he is a king, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Goh can do magic, M/M, Normal pregnancy, Politics, Royalty Drama, Substance Abuse, Very odd kingdom but serious story, harem drama, temporary gender swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:08:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 42
Words: 86,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24995878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aliasprick/pseuds/Aliasprick
Summary: This is completely deviated story from any of the series. It's about kings and kingdoms.Raboot needed a solution. If Vermillion remained unprotected, they would all burn. Now it was all up for the king to decide.* Please note that reader discretion is advised. There might be some triggers mentioned as it followed a certain timeline. I have tagged as much as I can anything that will come into the story for every chapter update. Not suitable for underage readers.
Relationships: Gou | Goh/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum
Series: Monarchy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1880773
Comments: 34
Kudos: 95





	1. Prologue

There was a time when human settlements were divided by kingdoms. Some were weak kingdoms and some dominated others in military, prosperity and its knowledge base. Not everyone lived in harmony and some countries crumbled at the mercy of others. Kingdoms that were on an expedition to expand their land masses actively seek out new additions to their border extensions. 

It was a turbulence of time; it was the ambitious time of royals, where none of the kingdoms were unaffected by the ruthlessness of its civilization and the Kingdom of Vermillion wasn't spared from it. It had managed to get by with the strength of the wizards and witches that resided in its land. It was under the ruling of King Ikuo that they had created some great alliance with other kingdoms surrounding it: The Kingdom of Ecruteak in the North, The Kingdom of Azalea in the East and the Kingdom of GoldenRoad in the West. 

But at last, time passed and the king grew old and tired of the royalty life that he dethroned himself to pass the ruling baton to his only prince once he reached the age of eighteen, Goh or more appropriately addressed as King Goh from the day of his coronation. 

In this alternate universe, Pokemon existed and some of them gained the highest level of intelligence and were smart enough to be hired as a servant or in the castle, they would be eligible for the position of the king's advisor or sync partner to a knight. 

Young King Goh had an advisor who did most of his political clean up. His maturity in the political world was still rough around the edges, one that was expected from a young king like him. His advisor, who shall be named Raboot, had been the one pulling off the weight for the young king to protect the kingdom from harm. 

Raboot, the fire rabbit pokemon, had been managing most of the paperwork. It had been under the training of King Ikuo's pokemon before taking the position full time but ever since the coronation (which was only two months ago), there had been some problems with the kingdom. 

"Raab", Raboot could only sigh when he received another report from the knight in the North border. A spy they had sent into Ecruteak had received words about another plan to infiltrate Vermillion's land. That would be the second time this month. The King of Ecruteak, King Morty had drafted out some of his military power to penetrate through Vermillion's border. 

It wasn't that Vermillion was weak in terms of power but King Morty was under the umbrella of King Giovanni, the ruling king of the Viridian Kingdom, which was Ecruteak's neighbouring kingdom. It had the audacity of the top three military powers that could potentially wipe out Vermillion if it wanted to. 

It didn't help that Vermillion was the only kingdom that had access to magic. While alliance might be the softest way of binding, the greed to take over this magical land surpassed the peaceful approach. 

There was another root cause of the sudden increase of the infiltration attempt into the kingdom. Raboot picked up another scroll with a written down invitation to The Kingdom of Cinnabar asking for the king and his ward's attendance to King Blaine's birthday. It wasn't the only invitations. There were several more asking for the same thing in the pile of bullshit scrolls it had to go through. 

Goh had spoken about it when he was told about the party invitations. "They just want to get too close to my ward Princess Chloe, those perverts. I shall protect her at all cost". 

The only thing that actually needed protection was the king's ass and he didn't even realize it. 

Its king is vulnerable and he was the one needing the protection - even the knights, wizards and witches who served the kingdom could tell the reason behind the sudden hike of infiltration attempts and party invites. 

Throughout the globe, King Goh was very popular with the men and the women populations due to his unparalleled beauty and a lot of people who had meet him would get instantly sold by his glorious attitude and physical appearance. 

He was the icon of cuteness overload and it posed so much problem for the kingdom as of now. 

In other words, no men and women would deny the chance to conquer the king's heart. In a peaceful way or in a forceful way. 

Before all of that, they needed to try and get close to the king which was impossible since the king granted his audience only through mails. 

In other words, he was an introvert who just liked to do his work in his own time inside the king's study room. It got worse when he became the king since he plainly refused to attend to any of the celebrations he was invited to. When he was a crown prince, the ex king would always send him out as a representative for their country to parties but now, as a king, Goh refused to take even one step outside the palace's gate. 

"Raab", Raboot sighed again when another report came in, reporting about the odd movement in the West Border. At this point, Vermillion would be in ashes if it didn't come out with a plan to save the king's ass. Speaking of ashes… 

Raboot realized now, there was a solution to all of this. There was a kingdom with massive firepower, the number one kingdom in the world in everything and it lied somewhere in the South. 

Yadon Kingdom. If it wasn't mistaken Yadon Kingdom had a king who took in wards as his concubine from kingdoms that seek for its help. It was ruled by a king whose name was King Ash. 

King Ash had many wives, if it remembered correctly and all of his wives were daughters of kings in many regions. Although, the king had yet to bestow the queen title to any of the wards but it was said that he treated them well in the harem. 

Then, the only thing it needed to do was to convince his king to let his ward marry King Ash. If it did go well, they would be settled for life. 

There won't be any worry about protecting the king's ass and Princess Chloe would be in a good hand. 

"Raab", Raboot put on its advisor cape and headed towards the study room. The silver silk fluttered with its movement, highlighting the highest position it held in the king's household. Maids around the corner honoured it with respects. 

The king's study room, situated in the left wing was the most isolated spot in the castle. It prepared itself before entering the room to meet the king. 

The plan needed to be told. 

Even if the king didn't like it. 

For the sake of their kingdom. 

For the sake of their people and pokemons. 


	2. A nerdy king

"Yes Lord Raboot", said King Goh after he granted his advisory pokemon to enter into his study. He had his nose buried deep in an encyclopedia,his eyes following the words written on the pages with full dedication. Musky scent of books and scrolls wafted into Raboot's nose, the same scent that reminded it of its tasks at hand. It rolled its eyes when it saw the king's staff being left and ignored on the carpeted floor in the center of the room. The books worth more than a national treasure would to the king who was obsessed with his reading materials. 

"Raab", it kneeled down in the audience of the king but it clearly wasn't the king's wish to have his advisor to formally greet him in this manner when they were alone. Such conventions should only be shown in the throne hall. Granted for this reason the king had specifically decreed that his audienceship is seeked through mails by general citizens. 

Eventhough Raboot's action was disapproved by the king, the walls had ears and the eyes were everywhere. Thus, the Rabbit advisor pokemon had never slacked in its mannerism. This kingdom after all was a kingdom of magic. Everything could be seen and everything could be heard when someone tried hard enough. 

"We've told you a lot of times that anyone of our kin should discard formality when you've come to see us". King Goh put down the thick book, exasperation evident on his face. Raboot sighed as Goh acted up again about this issue; he might not find it a big deal but it was a big deal to someone who wasn't the king. 

"Raab raab". (Even if his majesty has decreed it, the royal court has some traditions to uphold. Court mannerism is a sensitive issue in the castle). 

"It's not like you are being seen by others, Lord Raboot", the king shrugged. 

"Raab". (I find it atrocious to repeat myself, his majesty, but if it makes his majesty happy, then that I shall). 

The king ignored his advisor and picked it up to where he had last left off. He had been reading on the last excavation recorded by a well known historian a hundred years ago - the excavation of finding clues to Mew had led the adventurers to a ruin of a lost kingdom known as Pallet. Mew was said to be the most powerful mythical pokemon who could make a perfect morph of different pokemons. It wasn't as simple as copying. It became the pokemon it morphed into. Anyone who captured it would become the most powerful individual on this planet. 

And his sovereignty would go unchallenged. Ever since he was a child, reading about it had made him fond of said pokemon. He believed he was destined to have an encounter with Mew and as he continued to dish out all clues in finding it, he could feel that he was getting closer each time. 

Although, he did wish that the burden of a king could be lifted off his back but his nation came first before anything else, especially when this kingdom is in a trying time. 

"Raab raab raab". (I am here to give his majesty my advisory. Words have arrived in my hand that our neighbouring kingdoms have started to make their moves after his Majesty's coronation. My king, this state of unrest will surely break the confidence of our people if we let it be". 

"Was it because we're young?" 

"Raab raab". (One of the reasons had been because of his majesty's age and wisdom. The bigger part of it was because of the concentration of magic in our land. And… having His Majesty's bloodline integrated into other royal households would make the other royal families gain magical abilities. His Majesty has to understand the kinship history of this court). 

The king abandoned his book, ambling along the high shelves until he reached the wall where portraits of his ancestors were aligned next to each other - the kings and queens that came before his time stared down onto his young self as if they were adjudicating him. 

"These are our families, the great king and queens who had possessed the highest prowess of magic in this world. Each of the royals were married to their closest kin and our bloodline was preserved this way so that the people who lusted for power will never be able to obtain it", he recited the lessons imbued by the royal tutor. 

"Raab raab raab". (His Majesty's father and dearest mother did not wish that of sire. My king, the only reason why the queen only bore his Majesty was to give the freedom to find true love. It had been made clear since the day that My King was born that his plighted troth should be the one he truly desired). 

"Is that why our father insisted we attended royal gatherings in other countries?" 

Raboot wanted to tell the king that it had been a mistake of the predecessor king because now that the tradition of inter marriage was no longer upheld, the king had become a potential object of affection to the other kingdoms. It didn't help with the fact that he came with an attractive package - his looks and the magic that ran through his veins were enough reasons for other kingdoms to amp up their army and polished their celebrations to win over the king. 

The king's ass was on the line and it was their nation's job to make sure that no harm came to him. Raboot was grateful for Goh's introvert nature or it could bring more trouble if he had been outgoing. 

This part of the detail was left out from its speech. Sometimes there are things that are better left unsaid. His king needs to appear strong in front of others - he should never be troubled by the poisonous thoughts that ran through people's minds. 

"Raab Raab". (My king, in your majesty's perspective , should a plan come to light, how will he adjudicate it?) 

Raboot used the moment to speak of its plan. King Goh paid no heed to the change of topic: he knew that Raboot had come to him to be heard. Otherwise, his advisor would be in its own study assessing information about the kingdom's security breaches. 

The lack of answer didn't deter Raboot. In fact, it knew the king was all ears. "Raab Raab". (My King, in response to the recent activities from other kingdoms, my advice is we make a pledge of alliance with one of the three greatest nations to secure our borders. Not only will it enforce our military advantage, it will deter the other kingdoms from trying to infiltrate our borders).

"Which nation do you propose we pledge such things to?" King Goh didn't turn from facing the wall, his voice breaking from it. The tone used told Raboot that the king was oppose of the idea and it had to be carefully relayed or else, Raboot would risk the king's wrath. As far as the king was concerned, all the three greatest nations were ruled by kings who knew not of empathy. 

"Raab raab". (Yadon Kingdom, his Majesty). 

"The Yadon Kingdom?" The map had an abundance of kingdom names but out of all the names he thought he would hear, his advisor put forth the nation that the king perceived as having a skeptical and out of norm culture. It was well known throughout the globe that the offering for the exchange of Yadon Kingdom's alliance would be a ward to be taken into Yadon's royal harem. 

Sacrificing Chloe was the last thing on his mind. His ward was his best friend and to sell her freedom in exchange of power would do her wrong. 

"We still have ways to contain the border issues", King Goh shook his head in disagreement. His ward was too precious of a friend to be a tool of trade between kingdoms. 

"If our father wants us to find the one, we wish that for Chloe too. We have come to this point where Mew was within our reach. Surely it won't be too long before we obtain it". 

"Raab". (As his majesty wishes).

Raboot was hoping that this would go smoothly but it had known the king long enough to know he wouldn't move his decision. 

The advisor pokemon kneeled down again and departed from the king's study room. It had yet to give up on the idea but the king was a hot headed young man and it would be hard to change his opinion. 

There were tonnes of reports to read and it would take it all day long to bring the events into a compressed version of written down points for the next round table with the generals. 

"Raab", it sighed along the way. 

Raboot needed vacation. 


	3. Stand still search

Next to the Vermillion's castle was a river flow. Next to the river was a meadow. Seeds of Dandelions carried by autumn wind had now sprung its blooms and they bestrewed across the meadow to paint it white and yellow. 

From the window, the morning breeze lifted the damp air and touched the warmth of Chloe's skin as she took to herself to have her breakfast in her sleeping chamber with Yamper laying down on her lap. 

"It's a beautiful morning, isn't it yamper?" 

Yamper seeked out the snuggling warmth, its belly drumming in pure happiness. The small dog pokemon had been a company to Chloe since she was a child. She loved it the same way it loved her back. 

A maid knocked on the door to seek out permission to enter in which she called her to come in. "Your highness", the maid bowed, keeping the new change of dress on her bed. 

"What's happening in the castle today?" the young ward asked. 

The servant bowed again and began her morning gossiping. "The castle servants are all preparing for the coming round table. We have the curteyn refreshed and the cooks have prepared the course's draft for your highness' appraisal".

"Who are we expecting to see?" 

"Highest Mage Ren, Count Hodge, Prime Minister Visquez and Head Priestess Chrysa. They would be attending the meeting with the king". 

"Is Lord Raboot managing the invitation?" 

"Yes, your highness". 

Chloe gave Yamper a back rub, earning a loud purr from the pokemon. The incoming event was planned by Lord Raboot to inform the king of their kingdom's situation. Ever since King Ikuo descended the throne to allow his young son to take over the country, their alliances had been backpedalled by the neighbouring kingdoms. 

Princess Chloe may be a ward in the Kingdom of Vermillion but her birth origin was from a country far away from this land. She was taken into the kingdom to become a companion to the king but she wasn't from a magic descent herself. This land, as much as it prosper, would still be faced by challenges all around it. 

"The king, how is His Majesty faring?" 

"The king is faring well".

"His Majesty has been cooped up in his study again, is he not?" Chloe genuinely worried about his health. It can't be healthy to stay inside the study for too long. 

Chloe rose up after Yamper moved to the spot next to the desk. She went behind the changing panels, one that was gifted to her by her father before she was left behind in this kingdom (for diplomatic reasons) and the maid went behind it to help change the princess into her morning dress. 

After tying up the corset and putting the dress on her, the maid plaited her long hair in braids at the dressing table, the hair being kept out of her eyes. She let it draped across her shoulder, her maroon strands complimenting the peach colour of the fabric. 

The maid mixed the black substance and carefully outlined the frame of her eyes. Then she mixed a pinkish substance to add the colour to her lips. 

"Your highness is as beautiful as usual", the maid complimented. 

"Thank you", she expressed her gratitude and rose from the small stool. The maid escorted the young princess until they reached the king's study chamber. She stood in front of the elegantly designed door, the soldier standing guard at the door announcing the arrival of the princess. 

A muffled "come in" resounded from behind it and the soldiers opened the door for her. She turned to the maid and said, "I'd like to have a solitary time in the king's audience". 

"Yes, your highness", said the maid. The young princess stepped into the room and waited for the door to shut. She took a look at the floor and saw the national treasure being treated like a piece of trash. There were stacks of books piling up a few steps away from it. It was forming a circle and right in the middle of it, the king had become a pile of goo, looking wearied from all the readings he had done. 

"Goh!!!! Mou!!" Chloe let her annoyance known clearly in her voice. 

"How are you faring, your highness?" the king asked sleepily, yawning widely, disregarding the courts manners altogether. 

"His Majesty, is he still searching for the mythical pokemon again?" asked Chloe, her arms folded against her chest. 

"It's the only way we've known to stop the troubling situations in the kingdom". 

"His Majesty had forgotten to take a rest.

? It's in his majesty's wellbeing that he finds it in himself to return to his chamber as soon as he completed his reading". 

"We can't rest until we found a way to settle this feud. Our father entrusted this responsibility and for the sake of the kingdom, we must not stop". 

The princess lowered down and sat on her knees next to the king who was lying down and had his eyes wandered to the ceiling. 

"What's the matter, Goh?" she asked with concern. 

"Your highness, at last we have come to a stand still", the king sighed. 

"Tell me". 

"The last excavation of the Pallet ruins was a hundred years ago. Ever since then, there wasn't a record about the location of Pallet or a hunt to find Mew, as if the records dissipated into thin air". 

"His Majesty, what's on your mind? It can't be this is the only thing he is worried about?" 

"If we're unable to uncover Mew, we won't have a solution to protect this kingdom", but the way he grimaced told Chloe that there was a way out for all of them. It was just Goh was disagreeing with the method that he kept it all to himself. 

"There must be another solution", Chloe asked. 

The king was hesitant with his words. He unclenched and clenched his fists. Turning his head away, he admitted, "there is". 

"If there is one, then we should try it". 

"But it involved a diplomatic alliance with Yadon Kingdom. Your highness will…" he bit his inner cheeks in frustration. 

"Oh", the thing that stopped at Goh's lips was the things that Chloe understood too well. When they were younger, they were taught by the same royal tutor that nailed the knowledge of other kingdom's etiquette. Each of the royal bloodlines in every kingdom, their connections and their montage of historical contributions or their debacle were taught to both of them as lessons to be learned from. 

Yadon Kingdom was very well known with its harem. 

"I will be sent away", said Chloe, her hand placed on her chest. King Goh nodded, his sadness surfaced from the deepest part of his chest. 

"Yes, your highness".

As a royal, it became Chloe's duty to bring peace, even if it was through such unions. Political marriages often became a tool to solidarity between two nations. Such is the fate of a princess. 

"May I join the round table meeting that is to be held tomorrow? I'd like to weigh the decision after hearing the full report from the head of mages, head of priestess, the prime minister and the head of generals".

Chloe had a heart of steel. Surely, she would be able to weather it. Goh didn't immediately answer. He was in a deep thought for a while but only tension gripped him. 

There wasn't much he could do - their own power could not overcome it. 

"You may", the king finally let his answer known. 

"Thank you, His Majesty". She said as she rose up. "I will return to my chamber". 

The king grabbed a handful of his own lock. He needed to find Mew so that they wouldn't have to resort to this. 

_ Mew, where are you? _


	4. Looming threats

A Vermillion's cavalry soldier standing at his post on the observatory tower flipped open his visor to have a better view of the approaching carriage. He was guarding the North border and he had been counting the carriages that had crossed the border. It used to be busier but these few days, lesser carriages had arrived at the border. 

"Yuta", a sergeant called from the tower door. 

"Sir", the young cavalry soldier saluted and moved closer to answer the officer's call. 

"Have you been keeping tabs of the traffic today?" asked the sergeant. 

"Yes sir. Only three carriages have reported entry at our border check", the knight reported. 

"Indeed, this is suspicious", said the sergeant. "Return to your post and report for anything odd". 

"Yes sir!" 

As the sergeant descended the staircase, Yuta saw another incoming wagon. He had been curious of the sudden decrease in the number of carriages and wagons as of late. It would be beyond his required task but gathering intel was one of the most important aspects in becoming a soldier. 

The soldier descended the steps of the tower and waited for the wagon to stop at the gate. He then proceeded to talk to the driver. 

"State your business, sir", he asked the man holding the horse reins. The man pulled a folded piece of paper and showed it to him. 

"I am here to sell my vegetation", said the man who appeared to be a farmer in a nearby village. 

"Show the back of your wagon", ordered the soldier and the driver got off the seat and uncovered half of his wagon. Cabbages and carrots filled a number of wooden baskets. Satisfied with the check, the soldier let the driver covered his wagon again. 

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, do you happen to know why they are lesser merchants coming here?" asked the soldier. 

"I've heard that King Morty had closed the shortest route to this part of the land. The other route was through the dangerous woods and a lot of merchants have decided that it isn't worth the risk to cross it. Only several traders who relied on the Magikarp scales trades will brave the wood", said the driver. 

"Why is the safer route closed?" asked the soldier. 

"I'm not too sure myself. It made it difficult for me to travel to the main city to sell my produce and so I have come to your country instead since it is nearby". 

The soldier nodded and returned the paper to the driver. After thanking the soldier, the driver pulled the rein and his horse trotted to cross the bridge. 

The cavalry soldier went to meet his superior who was writing notes in his office. He let the sergeant know of the things he had gathered. The sergeant was pleased with his report and thanked him for his splendid work. 

In the grand master camp, a few kilometres away from the North border, the highest General, Count Hodge sat in front of three crystal balls, awaiting for the end of the day reports from the high officers in each of the border. His back was leaned against the chair, with his leg crossing another and his arm draped crossing the top rail. Between his teeth was a hay straw and he grinded his teeth with it to cure his boredom. 

On the camp mattress, his pauldrons and faulds were kept in upright position. His long swords were tucked neatly in their holders. Hodge owned three of the long swords and his oldest one had been drizzled with the blood of their enemies since the day he bore it. 

When the crystal ball lighted up, he stopped and took out the hay straw from his mouth. 

"Count Hodge, it's a pleasure to see you again", the officer from the North said. 

"Howdy. Any reports for me? Anything worth relaying to the king?" 

"Yes sir. It's regarding an intel we've received from a farmer who crossed the border today". 

"Enlighten me". 

"According to the report, King Morty had decreed the safe route to our border to be closed from traffic. We're not sure why it is inaccessible but it may explain the low traffic of carriages and wagons crossing our borders for the past weeks". 

"Huh… That will indeed impact our trades. The safe route is only a direct road between Vermillion and Ecruteak city center. What problem could have caused the closure?" 

"We should inquire with a mail to the officer in Ecruteak regarding this matter. They could fill us in with the reason behind this", said the officer. 

"I'll take a look on what we can do about it", said Hodge. He dismissed the officer and then the other two crystal balls lighted up. The west border officer reported a growing number of carriages movement after midnight and the carriages were escorted by soldiers. Vermillion spies had yet to uncover where it was being sent to. 

In the East Border, a big news spread across Azalea that its princess had departed for Yadon Kingdom as an exchange of alliance's pledge. Two kingdoms seeking protection from two greatest Nations did sound like an alarm bell to him. 

He graced the officers with gratitude and called forth the Highest Mage Ren. 

"Greeting Highest Mage Ren. Hope that I am not disturbing your study", said Hodge.

"Ah, greeting Count Hodge. Not at all, I have just completed my test on a new disguise potion that could help our spy to swap their sexes when on duty. Do you want to hear more on this?" the Mage excitedly showed him a bottle of potion he had created. 

High Mage Ren was known for his eccentricity and in the past he had come out with products and potions that can lead someone to think about its usage. The mage's excited face however made it hard for Hodge to turn him down. 

" I could spare some time". 

"This potion here will change your sexes for a long duration of time. My test subject from a year ago was changed into a girl when he took the potion. His magic is strong enough to maintain this change until it reaches the maximum limit, which is a year. He told me throughout the duration of change, there was no way to reverse it".

"That means plenty of time to investigate but being a girl for a whole year sounds traumatizing. I hope he is faring well". 

"Unfortunately, he did have to live his life as a woman for a whole year and I was told that he bled every month. It was a horrendous detail!" 

"Urhhhh…. Right", Hodge watched as Ren panicked while on the call. "Um, could you hear me out now?" 

"Yes, yes", the mage recovered from his panicking state. "What can I help you with?" 

"The safe route in Ecruteak to our border has been closed by King Morty. According to our source, there isn't a definite cause to it. Can you uhh… Utilize your magic for a bird eye view of the route?" 

"Can I? Are you doubting the great mage?" asked Ren. 

"No, I'm asking because I can't utilize magic like you, Mage Ren". 

"That makes me happy!" the mage quickly put the potion aside and grabbed a chalk on his desk. He began to draw a pattern on the floor and disappeared from the crystal ball lens, only to return with a jar of clotting red substance in his hand. 

"What's that?" 

"It's Pidove's blood", said Ren, dipping a brushing tool inside it. Then he traced the pattern with the blood and he stood in the middle of it, chanting nonsensical sentences . Hodge watched the circle glow and light beams streamed out from the crystal ball into his pupil. 

He found himself looking directly at Ren and all around him was the sky view of the ground below. 

"I don't feel sick like when it was my first time", Hodge said, looking down at his feet. 

"We're above the safe route", Ren said, pointing at the ground below. Hodge scanned through the area but found nothing that could have possibly caused the route to be closed. There wasn't any bandits or construction of a new village or site. He rubbed his chin to put together the pieces. 

"In my perspective, they are trying to block traders to reach our land. Our biggest economic reliance is with Ecruteak since the distance from their main city to ours is only two days using the safe route. GoldenRoad and Azalea both are surrounded by mountains, making it hard for merchants to cross and Ecruteak is the only kingdom that could allow the traders to reach us safely", said Hodge. "Ecruteak is trying to weaken our economy and to deplete our resources ".

" A soft sanction", Ren added to the comment. 

"We need to make sure the king is aware of this", said Hodge. 

"Agreed". 

The Kingdom of Vermillion, if this were to continue, what would become of it? Ren and Hodge could sense the ominous wind in the air awaiting them


	5. The Round Table

High Priestess Chrysa woke up with her bed soaking wet from sweating profusely. She had received a vision that showed her a turbulent that would happen in the nearest future. The predecessor king would once again rise into power until the young king returned to his homeland. 

The turbulence would break the king's heart into million pieces and he would be drowning in sorrow that it would chip at his health little by little. If this was evaded it can lead to a repercussion that will end up with the death of the king. If the sorrow remained uncured, the king would fall ill and that would also weaken the nation. 

No matter which path they chose, he will return as a severely broken man or as a corpse to Vermilllion. The later they shall avoid while the other one was unpreventable but had a glimpse of hope inside. 

"May the Lord save the king. Amen", she whispered quietly as she prepared herself to go into solitary after the king's departure in order to improve her core. 

She hoped her method would be enough. 

\------

The Magikarp flags wavered as the wind streamed through it, all flags were the size bigger than an adult man. The general citizens had begun to gather for the parade where all the highest commissioners were assembled for the round table. The crowd had begun to sing and hummed to the Magikarp national anthem when the trumpet marked the start of the parade. 

"I want to see them", a boy told his father who gladly complied and casted a floating spell on his son to have a better view of the parade. 

"Woah, papa, they're letting down the gate!" the boy cried excitedly when the gate was lowered. Three of the high commissioners were mounted on Galarian Rapidash, except for Count Hodge who was riding his Hariyama's shoulder. 

"The count is so handsome!!" a few girls melted at the sight of Hodge, who waved at them, meant to tease them. The girls, they squealed and swooned as if their hearts were imprisoned by his boyish smile. 

Fireworks played in the sky to commemorate the attendance of the commissioners. A celebration like this was meant to divert the citizens' attention from the elephant in the room. When the parade came to an enclosure, the party arrived at the bailey where the king, his ward, Lord Raboot, two guards and a few maids were waiting for their arrival. 

The three high commissioners alighted from the Galarian Rapidash while Count Hodge got down from his Hariyama with a soft landing. 

"Long live the king", the commissioners recited after kneeling down in front of the king. 

"Rise on your feet", the king gestured for them to stand. The National Treasure staff he held had a blue crystal welded into its shaft and it was glowing an immense colour. 

The nation will push on as long as its crystal continues to have the light in it . There was a significance to the national treasure - it wasn't just a decorative piece to show that the king was the one reigning. The staff was also an essential tool to tap into the king's magical energy as a boost to his power and if High Mage Ren and High Priestess Chrysa was already considered to have high capacity of magic, the king and his bloodline had an even extensive capacity to magic. 

The predecessor king would have utilized it to the fullest to run the country but King Goh, the current ruler, preferred that everything was run without its usage. He didn't want Chloe to be left out from something she couldn't do. The king really treasured his relationship with his childhood companion. 

The commissioners followed the king and his wards into the throne hall. When he ascended the throne, the commissioners were on their knees again with their heads chinned down towards the floor. 

"My king", they all said in union. 

King Goh held his staff with both of his hands and a strange pattern appeared in the air. They watched the floor being enveloped by a strange aura and until the whole room was coated with it, the king remained in that pose. It was essential to do it before every meeting so that any outsider wouldn't be able to hear their conversation. 

When he was done, he pointed towards the middle of the room where a table emerged from the empty space. 

"Shall we gather around the table?"

"After His Majesty", they said. 

The King, Lord Raboot and Princess Chloe made their way to the table, followed by the high commissioners where they settled in the parts they were comfortable with. 

Princess Chloe had been amazed with Goh's ability to use magic. The king hardly used it around her that she forgot that he came from the bloodline that mastered its usage. This was one of the few instances that she got to witness his power. 

"Reports?" asked the king to his subjects. 

"My King, I bring words on the situations at our borders", said Count Hodge. 

The king nodded to allow Hodge to explain. 

"My King, on the North Border, it has come to the chivalry unit's attention that there has been a roadblock at the safe route the merchants used to make the way to our border".

"The impact?" asked the king. 

"Fewer numbers of merchants are able to reach our border and that would put our economy to a standstill. Our resources will deplete if this continues", said Hodge. 

"Prime Minister, what are your thoughts on this?" 

"Hmm…" Visquez rubbed his chin. "His Majesty, I believe that Ecruteak has every intention to go into war with us". 

"War?" asked the young king. 

"First, there had been a small number unit being deployed near our border over the past two months. Ecruteak had always been careful with where the units were positioned previously but as of late, they had been sending them to areas that didn't require unit observation. Not only that, the flag of each unit on patrolling duty had always been different. If we were to take this into account, it means that the full unit is larger than just for guarding the border", explained the prime minister. 

"Second, the roadblock of the safe route. Ecruteak knew that the only way for the merchants to arrive in Vermillion safely is by using the safe route. We can also put it in the way that they are cutting our communication with the main city. This could only mean that they are ready to breach the alliance pledge we have made with them", the Prime Minister added. 

"How much manpower we have to protect the border?" asked the king. 

"Not nearly enough, My King. It needs to be mentioned that the Kingdom of Ecruteak had taken it out themselves to stand under the flag of the Kingdom of Viridian and thus they will be backed by King Giovanni", said the Prime Minister. 

"When did you receive this news?" asked the King. 

"Last night. The news of this had been sent out to every kingdom in the world", said the Prime Minister. 

"Ecruteak is not the only kingdom that is preparing for war with Vermillion, my liege", said Hodge. 

"Another one?" asked the king. 

"GoldRoad had been showing an odd carriage movement at night. It looks as if they were setting up camps somewhere",explained Hodge. 

"Then we can't afford to be attacked on both sides", said the King. The country was trapped. Azalea looked as if it was the only way out but the newly formed alliance with Yadon Kingdom could only mean that they were getting the backup army for themselves. Azalea knew of the plan to penetrate through Vermillion and they were preparing to brace any attack from GoldRoad and Ecruteak after they had taken over Vermillion. 

"That could only mean that GoldRoad and Ecruteak are working together and it won't be long before they will start the war", the high priestess interrupted. 

"High Priestess Chrysa has always perceived this correctly", the prime minister praised. 

"My king", Princess Chloe turned to King Goh. 

"It would be better if his Majesty would consider the forging of an alliance with Yadon Kingdom. It is for the good of this country and its people", she continued. 

The young king knew that they had no other option. With a heavy heart, he said, "We will have to go through Azalea to get there".

"We?" asked Chloe, unsure of what she heard. 

"We're going with your highness to Yadon Kingdom", said the king. "One of the reasons they would be entering this country was because of this power that is in our blood. We, following your highness to Yadon Kingdom to draft the alliance will buy us some time. If we are not in here, then they would have to wait for our return". 

High Priestess Chrysa looked solemn. If the king had decided, there was nothing she could do to stop him. Even if she were to tell the vision she had seen the night before, the king will do anything to ensure that the country is saved. 

The king turned to his advisory pokemon. "Write a letter to Yadon Kingdom. This kingdom will pledge an alliance in exchange for our ward". 


	6. The king of Yadon

Yadon Kingdom, a country that lied towards the South had a high density population. It was a peninsula country, surrounded by sea and had become the backbone of traders who sailed passing its harbour. The jetty in the harbour was especially busy during the day and seafarers of all kinds were welcomed to stop by. A lot of merchants would come down to the harbour to get strange goods to be sold or auctioned in other kingdoms.

As the name suggested, the abundance of slowpokes contributed to its wealthy farming economy. Slowpokes were also used to mark the social class of the citizens in the kingdom. The royal family, specifically the king, wore a shellder as a crown - his social class would be known as the Kantonian Slowking. 

A lower ranking royalty would be categorized as the Galarian Slowking. A noble and priest would belong in Kantonian Slowbro class. While a knight would belong in the Galarian Slowbro class. A merchant then would be in Galarian slowpoke class and the lowest ranking of all would be the normal slowpoke where it was usually worn by peasants. 

The citizens of this kingdom wore either shellders or slowpoke tails with their daily outfits to display their social status in public's viewing and they wore it either on their head or arms or backside depending on which class they belonged to. 

Without it, they were just mere lowlives. Losing the marks were equivalent to losing your freedom - a lot of these unfortunate people would be sold into slavery as there were a limited amount of jobs they could take. 

Shellders and tails weren't the only iconic way of life in the kingdom. The royal family, for generations, had taken in wards all around the globe as a token of alliance with another kingdom. This tradition was started by the third generation king and it had been practiced for thousands of years that it became a practice that was deeply rooted into the kingdom's tradition. 

How was a queen decided among all the wards in the harem? The king would only bestow a queen title to the first ward that would give him a son. The first son would automatically be given the title of crown prince and was expected to take over the king's role once he reached the right age. In the current timeline, a year had gone by since the power shift from the old king to the crown prince. After a grand celebration of the coronation, many kingdoms under the protection of Yadon Kingdom started to send their princesses as offering to be taken into the king's harem. 

The young king's name was Ash. He was turning 19 in two months and already, he had a lineup of wives and potential queens behind him. None of which he had the right to refuse since that was just the way the kingdom would seal an alliance with another kingdom according to the old practice. 

King Ash would have turned down the offering since he believed that a person shall have the right to a freedom of choice but breathing around his neck was the attentive eyes of an old council. 

The old council would monitor the king's action and if he were to breach any of it, they would have the right to topple the current ruling power to be replaced with whom they deemed dependable. The royal family would be stripped from their power and while that would give him freedom, the members of the council itself were people with corrupted hearts. It was for the sake of the people that he entertained the old and dry members of the council. 

Having born in the palace ground, King Ash had seen it all - the royal drama can involved a murder, a coupe, blackmailing and many more. If Ash had a brother after him, he would surely be a target of these events. Luckily for him, there was just something about his family tree that secured the position of a crown prince. 

The success percentage for the king to get a son was actually pretty slim and so, if there was only one son (which in his case, this was what happened), no harm should come to him no matter how much the other wards disagree at his appointment. It could be a curse but King Ash didn't believe in any of the sort. 

Despite all the dangers, not everything would turn up bad. 

The kingdom was in the mood of celebration today since Princess Serena, the king's ward from The Kingdom of Lumiose had finally come to a full term of her pregnancy. There had been two celebrations of such in recent months in the kingdom, Princess Iris who had given birth to a daughter with a given name of Princess Kayla and from Princess Dawn, another princess was born and was named Princess Cherry. 

The citizens were waiting for the news with the hope that this time, the king would finally have a son. Temporarily, the queen position in the harem was filled by the king's mother, Queen Delia but a younger queen was necessary to fill in the role since she would have to grow in terms of political maturity with the king. 

The news finally came in when the sun was nearly setting. A town crier stood in the middle of the city and soon the citizens began to gather around. 

"Princess Serena had given birth to a daughter, whose name shall be known as Princess Bella!" 

The citizens sighed. The previous king had gotten a son from his first ward with the least effort but the current king was having no such luck. Could it be that he was cursed not to have one? The people hoped that it wasn't the case. 

"I hope the king will get a son soon. Otherwise it would look bad on the royal family. We have never waited for a crown prince this long. It usually will be either the second or the third child", said one citizen to another. 

Meanwhile, in the palace, inside Serena's chamber, the king was sitting by her side while cradling his third daughter. The baby yawned sleepily as she snuggled into his arm. 

"She's cute", Ash said, poking the baby's cheeks lightly. 

Princess Serena's mood was of that a disappointment. 

"I'm sorry, Ash. I couldn't give you a son", Serena apologized. She had hoped that the baby would come out a boy. 

"Hey no worries. This whole thing is a stupid facade anyway. I'm pretty happy to have daughters. Now more daughters to buy teddies for". 

"It's hard on His Majesty too", Serena sighed, "I wish we can change it". 

"I'll get rid of the tradition once I find a way to get rid of the old council. They are too much of a headache. Everything needs to be followed point by point. Even if it is clearly pointless. It's hard". 

"They're going to hang around His Majesty neck again because of this". 

"Yada yada! Who cares if it's a girl or boy? She'll grow as strong as me!" King Ash stuck his tongue childishly. He had a dream that one day, he would obliterate the tradition so that his children could choose a person to be together with and loved the person dearly. He didn't want them to go through this royalty expectation like he was going through now. It was already difficult to reason with the council that he should be able to choose which suitors to have his offspring from. Even then the council had been scoffing down on him for failing to get a son.

Royalty life was a piece of madness. He knew now why his father was so insistent that he took over the scrap chair once he came of age two years ago. 

"My old man just wants to chase his fantasy. Didn't even give me time to enjoy life. Now we don't even hear news about him but before he left, he said he was making a revolutionary company or something", Ash whined. He heard a gossip from Advisory Officer Clemont that early retirement had been a global trend as of late. 

"Seriously, who will give power to a kid like me? Especially me, " asked Ash, propping his chin to whine about his life. 

He had another dream when he was younger, to become a Pokemon Master. Learn about pokemons and free them from slave traders. Basically his dream was to become a hero but here he was, bound by a heavy crown - a shellder crown - with a title pegged on his back. 

He didn't even want the title but he was the only crown prince in the royal household. He didn't have a choice but to rule a kingdom even if he didn't want to. 

"I'm really glad that His Majesty is happy even if it's just a daughter. I hope that didn't mean he will stop cherishing me", Serena still looked affected by it. 

"Hey Serena. Bella is not just a daughter. She's mine and your daughter. Be happy. I'll arrange a celebration for Bella, Cherry and Kayla. It'll be awesome, I promise!" 

Serena briefly lightened up. Ash didn't understand how this would affect her position in the royal harem. Her family was going to pressure her even more. If between this year and the next, another princess gave the king a son, the race would be over for all the wards. 

They would be treated as failure by their own kin. 

The king and his ward was interrupted by a knock on the door. Advisory Officer Clemont had come to get the king, to remind him of the meeting. "My liege, pardon my intrusion but His Majesty needs to be ready for the council meeting". 

"Oh brother. Why me?" Ash had to return Bella back to Serena. "Bye Serena. Sleep well", wished the king as he dragged his feet towards the door. 

Serena smiled softly, watching Ash leave the chamber with a mourning face. 

"It can't be helped. He's still a young boy, right Bella?" 


	7. The Court of Council

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Mani and Meganium for the idea of the lore. I've tweaked the wordings for the lore to fit in the writing but the constellation story is beautiful.

The grand palace of Yadon was one of the biggest, grandiose architectural efforts that had ever been built in this time. It was so large that just to get from the nursery (the chamber that Serena was in was located in this section) to the court of council (the place where the meeting was going to be held), it would take half a day if the king were to travel on foot. Instead, a Kantonian Rapidash was used to pull a carriage with the king and his pet, Pikachu on board. 

Advisory officer Clemont, on his Luxray followed the carriage closely. The shellder crown was in a chest across his seat and Pikachu was looking outside through the window. 

"What do you think, buddy?" he asked, taking interest with the things outside of the window. His Sokutai, a piece of ceremonial attire for the king with layers after layers of inner pieces worn on top of each other and was covered by a large golden robe with motifs of slowkings surrounding a Ying and Yang embroidery as its centerpiece. 

"This thing sucks", the king whined as he tried to lean closer to the window without wrinkling his outer robe. 

"Pika Pika", Pikachu pointed at the Lugia constellation. It connected the star dots together, the North Star being the guiding point and at its brightest. Towards the west of the North Star was the moon. 

A lore in Yadon went by the saying that if one can see the constellation at night while alone and the North star in the constellation shone at its brightest and the moon was next to it, then a fated meeting awaits them. 

It was a saying that was based on a romantic legend of Lugia and Lunala. 

A lonely Lugia had once roamed the earth and in its solitary the Lugia sat by the sea as it pined over the moon, wishing for a company. After years of yearning, a light illuminated from the sky onto the sea and it watched a blindingly beautiful pokemon descended from the veil of the night. 

The two pokemons danced in the air as they met and fell in love and Lunala swore that it would not return to the sky again to remain by Lugia's side eternally. The sky thundered as its lord, Rayquaza was enraged by Lunala's oath. It descended from the sky to remind Lunala of its home as the moon and that the Earth shall be destroyed if it remained. 

With a heavy heart, it took off to the sky, bearing with it a broken heart. Lugia mourned for days of the loss, its duties abandoned and its heart was scattered into tiny shards. It tried to forget but forget it not. Remaining in its heart was a piece of Lunala that it tried to bury deep into the ground. Lugia grew colder and colder until its heart became a piece of unfeeling stone. 

Lord Rayquaza could only watch the legendary die slowly with nothing left to amend. When Lugia died, the lord took its soul and released it into the constellation where it remained close to the moon and its North Star shone a platinum light as it remained close to Lunala. Through the bitterness, they found each other again and lived by each other's side happily ever after. 

It was a fun thing to think about, the kind of story that humans made up to distract themselves but the king wouldn't put his faith in it too much. An old saying was just an old saying and he already made so many connections in his life and cherished them all. He still loved making new friends and so it might not be too bad to meet more people. 

The carriage came to a halt and the rider lowered the steps to allow the king to climb down in his voluminous garbs. Advisory Officer Clemont was in a hurry to unhorse his luxray ungracefully that he managed to fall down on his back. "Uh, His Majesty, please forgive my rudeness". 

"It's fine Clemont. I've seen you tripped a lot so it's nothing new", said Ash, "plus, we're friends. We can just scrap formality if you want". 

"We're at the council court, His Majesty", Clemont stressed and climbed aboard the carriage to take the shellder crown. 

"This thing makes me go weird", Ash said when Clemont took the Shellder crown to him. 

"His Majesty has to bear with it for a while. I'll be sure to remove it once the meeting is over", said Clemont, polishing the shellder with his sleeve. Then he carefully sit the crown on Ash's head. 

"How's His Majesty feeling?" asked Clemont. This was probably the best part of being the king's advisory officer - you get to see the weirdest side of the royal family. 

"We are just as good as day, Advisory Officer Clemont", replied the king but Ash was finally addressing himself with the royal We, meaning that they were more than ready to go into the court of the old council. Clemont stepped aside to allow the king to float above the steps like a floating feather. He rushed after him and the guards bowed their heads as they let the king enter the court. 

There were twelve members in the old council but the most notable of them were Lord Faba, Baron Alberto who recently replaced his mother, Old Sage Rood, General Kukui and High Priestess Venus (very few women were allowed to hold power in the country) . Their influences were ones that extend deep in Yadon Kingdom's society. It wasn't an easy cut to remove them from their seats. 

The king stepped into his bench and the court was in session. 

"Long Live the King!" the council members bowed their heads when Ash sat in a pose that breathed power. 

"Please have a seat, our loyal subjects", he commanded and the council members lowered their gaze as they sat back on their own chairs. 

The secretary of the court stood up and began to outlay the topic of debate in the court of council. 

"Point!!" shouts the secretary as he read the first topic, "The Kingdom of Azalea have sent us a ward as a sign of their oath under the umbrella of King Ash. Should it be accepted or disregarded?" 

Lord Faba, the voice of the court, stood up to take the stage, "This shall not be as much of a debate. Azalea is a kingdom that will connect Yadon with GoldRock and Vermillion. Such an alliance benefits the two sides as Azalea receive protection and additional military power while we acquire a new trade route into borders we have yet to see". 

"Any dispute?" asked the king. 

General Kukui stood up and said, "this council shall accept, His Majesty". 

The secretary stood up again, shouting "Point!!!" 

He read out the next topic, "The Kingdom of Vermillion had sent us a royal stamped letter mentioning that their king King Goh shall be sending his ward to us to forge an alliance. The king himself will be coming down to Yadon in order to seal the alliance". 

This time, it was Baron Alberto who stood to give his thoughts, "His Majesty, surely he would not deter this effort of an alliance away. Vermillion is a Kingdom of Magic. It would strengthen our military power and give us more footing than King Giovanni is in the Northern Hemisphere. With Azalea and Vermillion in our control, we would be able to seize the chance to overpower Viridian".

The court of council weighted on the point made. However, Baron Alberto didn't just stop there. He was a sinister man who decided to dress his points with a little spice of mockery. 

"It is not that they have come to us empty handed, His Majesty. Another addition of a ward or two would make the harem livelier. A son would surely come along in another try or two", Baron Alberto walked a thin thread as he spoke of his opinion. 

General Kukui stood up in anger at the man who had slandered the king. "How dare you speak ill of His Majesty in such a manner!" 

"The king wishes that the court remains peaceful!" the secretary announced when the king gestured a silence. 

The Baron and General bowed their heads and returned to their seats . 

"Our condolences to have the Baron worrying about us. However, we wished to remain vigilant of who our suitors would be. However, the alliance with Vermillion would become an advantage to our kingdom. Any dispute?" asked Ash. 

The court was once again silenced. Throughout the night, the council continued to debate about the kingdom's welfare and the night went on until the morning sun arrived. Growing too tired to even speak, Ash finally left his bench and returned to the carriage that was parked outside of the court the whole night. 

"I want to sleep", he said once he took off his shellder crown. 

"Does his majesty need help to climb into the carriage?" 

"No, I'll be fine",Ash dragged the heavy attire up into the carriage. He was also mentally exhausted with the whole meeting as it used a lot of his brain power, if it existed at all. Clemont secured the crown inside the chest before unboarding the carriage. 

When the carriage started to move, Pikachu pawed in his lap to find a cosy position to sleep. 

"Good night, buddy", he said rubbing the pokemon's back gently as he himself drifted into slumber. 


	8. A wild ride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally the start of a whole ride. 😂

The night in the woods held many mysteries. In Azalea, the most predominant sound at night was the hooting of Noctowl since the thick forest was the home of the night flying pokemon species. Azalea was surrounded by mountains and in its long-winded routes branched out as it led to a different part of the kingdom. 

Galloping through the woods was a Galarian Rapidash and its rider commanded a horn drill whenever they were faced with a branch of the tree that was blocking their way. His cape fluttered with the wind as he tried to keep the hood intact on his head. In one hand, he kept a sturdy grip on the royal staff.

Not too far behind him was a group of men in black outfits who had been chasing him nonstop ever since he created the diversion. "I'm sorry Goh", he muttered as he tapped on the Galarian Rapidash to run faster. 

The man was Princess Chloe, who had transformed herself in the midst of the chaos that happened during the travel to Azalea main port. The king had planned that they were to leave once the evening entered and when it was closing to midnight, that was when Lord Raboot began to notice that their carriage were being followed. 

The king made up a plan to create the diversion himself after informed by Lord Raboot by taking the Rapidash and following another route to Azalea but Chloe foresaw that their target wasn't the carriage but who was inside the carriage. She had a notion that they were coming for the king, not her. 

Before they left the castle, High Mage Ren had slipped two small bottles of potion that could swap their sexes. "Use this if necessary. For none magic, this will only last a few hours", he told her after explaining about the potion. The safety of the king came first and she bit her lips when she grabbed the staff from Goh and swung it onto his head to knock him out cold. She apologized to Lord Raboot and explained to it of her plan and about the potion. 

Then she put the plan into motion. She tipped a bottle onto his lips and let the potion into his throat. Then she took another one for herself, the potion tasted funky and waited for the change to happen. At first she thought nothing was going to happen but a sharp pain jolted through her body as she transformed into a man. 

When she came to, she saw the king lying down on the carriage floor in a female version of himself. She admired how his hair was longer and his chest, she poked at the chest, the king now had a woman's package up there. He was androgynous to begin with and with the transformation, he became more beautiful than ever as it tone up the soft crevices on his face. Chloe scooped the king to place him on the carriage bench and undid the stuffy dress on herself. She tried not to look too much on the king and swapped their attire. 

To pose as the king, Chloe grabbed the staff and squeezed herself out through the window next to the driver's seat. "Bring the king to Azalea port and make sure no harm comes to him. You must make sure he reaches Yadon Kingdom. If we're being chased, I can only think that they have stationed some people in the port as insurance", she told the driver who was dumbfounded at the man who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. 

"I will be taking this Rapidash", she said, dismantling the hook of one of the Rapidash that was the closest to her and jumped on top of it. The staff had led the chasers to follow her stead instead as the carriage was left alone. 

That led to her current predicament.  _ Think Chloe think _ , she urged herself to work something out. "High Horsepower!" she commanded when they reached a cliff and the Rapidash dashed towards it, giving a strong kick onto the ground as it jumped over the cliff. Chloe closed her eyes tightly, she couldn't bear to watch the fall and when the Rapidash landed on the other side of the mountain, she breathed a heavy sigh. Her heart was thumping loudly against her chest. It had been a scary ride and a wild one. 

"This is crazy", she said as she managed to lose her chasers. Not too long after that, she arrived in a village but she felt her body slowly give out and she fell off from the back of the Rapidash. 

\--------

Lord Raboot covered itself in a cloak. It saddled a bag on its back filled with necessities stuffed inside it. Following closely was the carriage rider who was carrying the king like a sack of potato and they maneuvered through the crowd despite receiving some questioning stares. 

When Lord Raboot saw a man with tattooed insignia of a Viridian slave, it avoided them and found another way to the ship they were meant to get on but even when they had reached the port, he noticed how the Viridian slaves were around them in great numbers. 

There was no room to breathe at all. They had been riding for three days and a half nonstop and once they reached a village near the city, Lord Raboot had suggested that they changed their transport and bought a wagon from a farmer. They gave him 15 gold and the galarian Rapidash as an exchange for a Mudbray and the wagon. 

They also requested for a peasant girl's outfit, cloaks and a farmer outfit and they made their way to Azalea's main city. When they were shopping to stock up some necessary items for the journey, Lord Raboot noticed a few Viridian slaves moving around the crowd. Their eyes were wildly looking and they looked as if they were searching for something or someone. Carefully, they removed themselves from the area and headed for the port.

Lord Raboot looked at the paper in its hand. The ship they should be sailing on was an HMS run by an Azalea's Baron who owned a fleet company. With the number of slaves scattering around the port, it was highly unlikely that their reservation was not known by the Kingdom of Viridian. The ship must have been targeted and it could not risk to set sail on a ship infested with the enemy. 

Lord Raboot loitered the port once again and with the help of the carriage driver, they bought new tickets to sail on a merchant's cog to Yadon Kingdom. At the drawbridge into the cog, they were asked about the girl whom the driver was carrying and the driver had to answer that her daughter was feeling unwell and so he had to carry her around like that. 

The merchant let them on and they found themselves in a cabin crowded by a number of people and hammocks. There were servant girls and men. Lord Raboot sighed as they couldn't afford to sail in a much more luxurious ship than this. But at least the cabin looked well managed and the walls looked sturdy. 

The carriage driver lay the king inside the hammock. Lord Raboot was little worried why the king was still asleep and although he would like to communicate with Ren using the crystal ball they had been supplied with to ask for his insight, they might get discovered if it did that on the ship in the open.

Waiting for the king to wake up would be the best thing to do at this moment. When it was time, the cog set sail and Lord Raboot watched it leave the harbour towards the sea. As the city of Azalea became smaller and smaller, the hammock where the king was sleeping on moved and finally, King Goh aroused from his deep slumber. 

"Huh?" The king blinked when the first thing he saw was the nettle surface of the hammock.

Lord Raboot had to jump and slapped its paw on the driver's mouth when he was about to scream "My King" out loud. 

"Raab raab". (Don't blow our cover. I'll explain to the king). 

"Lord Raboot?" King Goh pushed a hand against the hammock and he did it too strongly that the hammock swung back and forth, throwing the king onto the floor. 

"Raab raab". (His Majesty, forgive me but we shan't use any formality here. Otherwise, we would be discovered). 

"Ahh…" King Goh looked around him as the other occupants stared at his ungraceful landing. 

A servant boy walked up to him to check on his well-being . "Miss, are you alright? The fall looks… Um painful", said the boy. 

"Miss?" the king blinked confusedly. It took him a while to notice that he was wearing a dress and he touched his chest while his face turned paler. 

"I have duckies (medieval slang for boobs) ", was the first thing that came out from his mouth after inspecting his own body. The servant boy looked flabbergasted at his action and decided it was best that he left the king alone. 

"Raab raab". (His Majesty, I can explain!) 

"Please, Raboot. Explain to me how this happened!" 

And so, Lord Raboot told the king how they came to this point. The king's face contorted in irritation and he said, "We should return for Chloe at once!"

Lord Raboot tried to calm him down and reasoned with him. Chloe would be alright it assured the king because the disguise wouldn't last long for her and their Galarian Rapidash were trained to outspeed any other pokemons that it had a full faith that the pokemon Chloe had rode on had gotten her to a safe place. 

What was important was to get the king to Yadon Kingdom first and figure out what they should do from there. They couldn't risk a withdrawal from alliance with Yadon but maybe they could find a replacement for the ward. It would be a treason if they were to be discovered but it was in their favour that Chloe wasn't included as a part of the trade. 

"Raab raab". (Please, My liege. Bear with this. I will report the situation at once to Count Hodge via mail. We will find Chloe as soon as possible).

King Goh crumpled his dress. Now that the assurance was given, he had a whole other problem to figure out. It never occurred to him that he would ask himself this. 

_ How do I behave like a girl? _


	9. The first encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it, finally 🎉🎉

After about three weeks sailing in the ocean, the lord, the king and the carriage driver had yet to receive any reply from the castle for a letter they had delivered with an unfervant. Goh reasoned with himself that it could be because the high commissioners were too occupied searching for Chloe since in order to search for her, they would have to cross into Azalea and if it wasn't handled well, Azalea would take it as an Encirclement intent. Such misunderstanding could be detrimental to Vermillion. 

They were close to the shore, he noted as Yadon's harbour came into view. He had to swap the previous clothes with another servant girl who had a cotton dress for a hefty price since the old one had caused the rash to mutilate his skin (one of the many of his royal problems, mind you) . They were lucky when another servant offered them a balm to treat the rashes and it eased down to just peelable dry scabs. Lord Raboot had ensured to check on him every once in a while to make sure he wasn't ill. 

The life on board of a cog filled with servants was a different life altogether. Despite their rough living style, they were still a happy bunch of people who were grateful for every small little thing they owned. The food wasn't lavish, green pea soup and hard bread seemed to become a daily consumption for him now but they celebrated each other with songs and story telling. It was such a wonderful experience for him (not the food or the hammock). He made friends with all of them and even if the meeting was short, it would be something he would cherish once he returned to the castle. 

It had been some chaotic weeks since he became stuck in the female form of himself. He had to learn how to put colours on his face - the servant girls had been accommodating to teach him some simple mix he could try on himself. The first time he had done it, he made a fool of himself - a jester would put it on better than he did with his clumsy fingers. 

On the ship it was hard to take bath and so if there were rainstorms, they would fill a number of ewers with rain waters and heat the water up to be filled inside a smaller basin where they would take turn to have bath in small groups - it was awkward at first but he got used to it - and the girls would clean each other's body with soap bars while gossiping about the shipmates. 

From observing the way they walk and talk, he learnt how to mimic the standard gesture of a girl. The royal standards would have been more sophisticated but the king's goal was to get used to socializing with the female population so he didn't stand out too much. 

It wasn't all bad but all good times will come to an end. The harbour that was now clearly visible in his eyes marked the end of his voyage on the cog. There was another problem he had to face once ashore - to contact his commissioners back at home. 

When the ship docked at the jetty, the three of them said their goodbyes with the cabin mates and decided to explore the main city. When the party entered the city, they were mesmerized by the people who were wearing tails and shellders on themselves. 

"What a culture", the driver let his thoughts known. 

There were shops aligning the streets and in some corners, they noted how a soldier would be on a standby. Seeing how they would be heading to the palace soon, the king decided to buy a new dress that would be more comfortable and classy than his current one. 

When he found a tailor shop, he walked in and looked for a dress that would at least look decent. He found a white one with tulips embroidered onto the hems. The tailor, while taking his measurement, told them about the king's most recent daughter and how he adored the mother of the princess very much. While the citizens had been rooting and hoping that she became the queen, luck was not on her side to give the king a son. 

Goh tried to be emphatic hearing the story but he knew nothing about the events that happened in Yadon. He wasn't one to judge but a man with a lot of wives shouldn't be deemed like a good man in the first place. A good for nothing king would be the closest thing he could think of. 

It took a while to adjust the dress to his size. They tried to dig more info of the current affair while the tailor was sewing the pieces. When the dress was done, Goh took it and left the shop. 

He let his guard down for a while that he had forgotten - in a city as busy as this, there was bound to be a thief just around the corner. 

They were walking out from the shop with the king in a new dress when a thief snatched the bag belonging to the party and ran off with it. It caught them off guard that they were frozen stead for a little while. Only a few minutes later, when it was already too late did they try to go after the bag snatcher but lost him among the crowd. 

"This couldn't be it", the king gave up. Would all their effort have been to no avail?

"What are we supposed to do now? The bandit got away with our gold. I have a few gold in my sachet but with it, it won't be enough to purchase a slave", the king said, mourning at the loss of the bag. He had dropped the royal accent since living in the cog. 

"Raab Raab". (Sire, the crystal ball is inside too). 

"What are we going to do? I have not received a word from the commissioners and we can't communicate with them at all? We have an alliance to deal with and it would be terrible if a representative does not arrive at the palace!" Goh pulled his long sideburn, his eyes widened at the terrible prospect that would happen if something wasn't done quickly. 

"Ummm… I have an idea", the driver interrupted Goh. 

"What do you propose we do?" 

"Um… What if we act out a different role from ourselves? I can act as the king and you can pose as the ward. Maybe the king won't find sire attractive and let sire return to the kingdom. We can sign the deeds and sail back to our land". 

The king pondered over it with a finger on his chin. The idea didn't sound too bad and it would be likely to get rejected out of the harem since it was said that the Yadon King was quite fond of his current consort in the harem. 

"You're right. It's quite possible to make him reject my presence. What would a king hate?" 

"A boyish princess?" 

"... Brilliant! Yes, I should act like myself, say and do things a princess won't do and become disgustingly uncouth". 

"... Uh… Yes, sire. As long as we can sign off the agreement". 

"Raab Raab". (.... His Majesty, the plan is not thought out well. Shouldn't we try something else more well thought out? ). 

"What else can we do Lord Raboot?" He had to admit that it was one of the few silly plans that he had ever agreed to in his life but it wasn't the worst. 

Seeing how Lord Raboot was also unable to give a suggestion, it sighed in defeat. 

"Raab Raab". (.... We can go with this plan but formulating it better when we are inside the palace would be my suggestion, His Majesty). 

With the remaining gold they had, they purchased garments made of silk that could be passed as a king's travelling outfit. To make sure that the driver would act accordingly, the king casted a spell on him like a puppet controlled by a string. It would be temporary until they figured out another approach they could do. When Goh and his party arrived at Yadon's palace gate, the driver, posing as the king, introduced his supposed stature to the palace guard. 

"Hmm but isn't the king supposed to arrive using the HMS fleet?" asked the palace guard. 

"A small circumstance had robbed us off the ticket to board the fleet", the driver lied. 

"But how can we tell that you are not an impostor?"

"D-Do you know what a King of Vermillion can do that no one else can?" the driver tried to cook up a question to stall for time. 

"What can the king do that no other king can?" 

"Magic. I can perform magic. Watch as I summon the wingulls to dance above your commoner's head!" The driver lifted both of his arms in the air. 

"Raab raab". (He could've chosen an easier magic like lighting up the fire in the big cauldron next to the gate). 

Goh stopped himself from rolling his eyes and tapped his energy into the driver's hands. An aura glowed on the man's hands and the sky turned cloudy as a flock of seagulls flew above them creating an amazing formation. 

"Ah, forgive us for doubting His Majesty!" The palace guards immediately opened the gate to allow the party into the palace's ground. Their arrival was informed to Yadon Kingdom's king and his council who were at the moment, debating about the kingdom's taxation policy. 

Immediately, the court was adjourned as the King and His council prepared themselves to receive their guests. King Goh and his party was asked to wait in the throne room while the Yadon ruler was on his way to the throne hall. 

The palace throne hall was three times bigger than the throne room in his castle. Its white pillars were plated with gold carving of different legendaries, just like the image he had seen in his reading collections. A red carpet with silver embroidery was rolled from the entrance and ended up underneath the throne that was the size of a Rhyperior. There were two more seats next to the throne in the center, smaller in size, one that Goh assumed to belong to the queen and a crown prince. 

"The king must be an old man", King Goh shuddered at the thought. He hoped that he would appear unattractive to the king's eyes. 

He walked around the hall while in wait, admiring the carving on the pillars. One that stood out the most was Lugia and Lunala that was carved on pillars next to each other. He stood in front of it admiring the art. 

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

King Goh turned around to see who was talking to him. Dressed in an elegant robe and voluminous attire was a young handsome man about his age. The shellder on his head was one that Goh had seen so many times in his study with the royal tutor. 

It was at that moment that King Goh realized that he had made a big mistake


	10. Attraction

King Ash, in his hurry to receive the royal guest decided to go straight to the throne room. He was told that the king from Vermillion had arrived and performed a great magic to prove that it was him. The journey to Yadon was met with some trouble which caused the king and his small party to take another ship to reach Yadon.

The council was following with their own rides and they immediately assembled behind the king when they reached the throne hall entrance. The king stopped the royal guard from announcing his arrival as he would like to have a first look at the guests. The council allowed the king to enter the throne hall alone while they waited at the stairs waiting for the king's signal. 

King Ash went inside and he was met by an angel intently admiring the carving on the pillar. She let her long black hair with a hint of red to fall against her silky white dress. She must have belonged to the Vermillion's King party. Her long dress gracefully followed her steps and the king couldn't help himself from walking up to her. 

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" 

The lady in question whipped her head startled by his question. Her blue eyes sparkled with something of confusion and when she realized she had been staring, she lowered her gaze with a deep blush. "Greetings, His Majesty". Her voice had a boyish undertone but to King Ash, it was charming. 

"Shall we?" Ash gestured towards the throne and she followed behind him after a curtsy. Behind her were the council members who had been given the permission to enter. 

When King Ash ascended the throne, he graced them with a bow. 

"It must have been a tiring journey, King Goh", said King Ash. 

"It was, His Majesty", King Goh mistakenly answered which earned him odd looks from the Yadon King and its council. 

"Forgive me, His Majesty. I didn't realize it wasn't addressed to me", said Goh.

"And why is that?" 

"It's because… My birth name is similar to my king". Goh tried to say something reasonable. He remembered how Lord Raboot had never mentioned the ward's name in its letter to Yadon Kingdom. They were in a rush to send the letter out that they had left out a few details. 

"And what would that be?" 

"Gou. Spelled with G, O and U". 

"Indeed, that is quite confusing. The matter is something that can be put aside. Perhaps, the long journey had made you tired, your highness", said Ash. 

Lord Raboot used that chance to step on the driver's foot. "Raab raab". (Tell him we're here for the alliance signing). 

"King Ash, we've arrived from a distant land to seal an agreement", said the driver, nodding his head a little while being unsure if he was saying it correctly. 

"And is the princess the one to be taken into my harem?" asked Ash, now openly staring at Goh who was looking at anything else but the king. 

"We hoped we would be forgiven if she is not up to the standard", the driver crossed his finger and hoped that King Goh would be spared from entering the harem.

"Raab raab". (Please say yes, this man here is not up to your standard). 

Lord Raboot was lucky that the only people who understood what it said was only King Goh and the driver. King Ash didn't answer immediately. 

He would like to disagree with the Vermillion King. "Not at all. The princess is a true beauty, one of the prettiest we've ever met". 

Goh's blood ran cold. That. Did. Not. Go. As. Planned. 

"How can His Majesty think that? I am a princess whose interest is to read and learn about pokemons and the legendaries. I am not like other princesses who would weave and knit and entertain guests at a party", King Goh tried to come out with something distasteful for the king to hate. 

While the council was uncomfortable to hear about it as they expected more elegance in his behaviour and he gave his back a pat for it, the Yadon King simply replied with a "That would be awesome. We share something in common". 

It turned out that it was easier to please the Yadon King than he initially thought and the plan backfired. 

"Is His Majesty out of his mind?" Goh stuttered and fumbled with his dress. The king in his throne smiled and shrugged. 

"Raab raab". (What did I say about a well thought out plan?) 

Lord Raboot sighed. There was no way to fix this situation it seemed. 

\---------

Goh was a try hard, Lord Raboot noted, as it watched the king trying hard to hold back from scraping the chocolate mousse clean. They were invited to dine with the king and queen in the dining hall, in which the king had been courteous enough to pull out a chair for him before going to the other side of the long table. It was a luxurious dinner spread, one that they had been starved from for a while in the cog. Feeling hungry after looking at it, Goh tried his best not to ruin his table manners.

The king watched from across the table at how Goh was filling his plate with all the food in front of him. 

"The princess loves to eat dessert, huh?" the king attentively watched her from far, mesmerized with her pleased face while trying not to appear too pleased with her food since she was here for diplomatic reasons. 

The queen raised an eyebrow at her son's attentiveness. "So, what does His Majesty think of her?" 

"Mum, it's hardly appropriate to have this discussion at the table. We have also just met and thus my opinion of the princess is limited", Ash tried to evade his mother's question. He felt an attraction but she wasn't the first girl he had been attracted to. 

"His Majesty had never reacted so strongly around anyone", the queen used her sleeves to hide her giggling. King Ash pursed his lips and decided to focus on his own plate. True, he was never distracted by anything else when the food was spread right in front of him but Princess Gou was an exception. It was still a small thing that could be dismissed as him trying to be nice to their guest. 

Meanwhile, the guest on the other side of the dining hall was enjoying the food they had missed for a few weeks. "Eat, Lord Raboot. This dish is fit for the king", Goh said, scooping the last of the mousse from the bowl. 

Raboot ate the food prepared for it - the juicy berries freshly picked in the garden tasted so sweet like no other he had had in his life. 

"I'm happy you're enjoying your dinner!" Ash shouted from across the room to let his thoughts out. 

"It's a pleasure to dine with you and your escort, King Ash", the driver replied on behalf of the king who just told him what he should answer. 

"Princess, how are you enjoying your food?" asked Ash. 

Goh's mouth was still full from the food and it would be against his manners to speak with his mouth full. He went for a small nod to approve of the meal and their presentation

The queen winked at the king. "Does His Majesty still think the question is inappropriate?"

"Mum, really? I was just checking on the guest", the king huffed. 

The queen laughed - there it was, an undeniable attraction, one she had not seen in the king before. The king had many suitors and was friends with all of them. He had daughters from his platonic loves with some of his suitors. He had yet to learn the meaning of true romance and how it could change a man and a woman involved. 

She silently wondered if this would bloom into a stronger feeling, one the king had yet to experience. There was a potential for it to happen as she could see the chemistry playing out in front of her. 

She hoped that the princess would be the one to bring it out of the king. 


	11. The Agreement Process

It was morning when the driver was kicked out of the bed by Lord Raboot. It had tried to be nice but everytime, it was shoved away from the bed. The lord could feel its irritation stacking up and after having enough, the feet became its only solution. 

"Raaab!!" (Wake up!!) 

Having fallen onto the floor with his face pressed closely against the tiles, the driver finally greeted the lord and sat upwards. "I'm sorry, Lord Raboot", he said. 

King Ash's hospitality was extravagant - the guests were provided with a new set of attires with King Goh being given a pink kimono. The king wasn't an early riser but when the lord had gone to wake him up that morning, it was instantly blocked by the royal guard eventhough it was a pokemon on the basis no males were allowed to come inside the king's future suitors chamber. Instead female slaves were sent in to help the king get ready. 

Only after that he had gone to the chamber where the driver was in, only to find him still slumbering away into Neverland. The journey to the living realm was a painful one, at least for the driver. 

The driver was given a formal male attire- a haori coat and hakama. Male slaves came in to assist with the dressing, which to Lord Rabbit, looked extremely complicated. When they were to regroup with Goh, Raboot found it amusing how the king was donned in layers of clothings and he was having a hard time moving around with it. 

"I feel like the entire pieces are coming off", Goh whined as he carefully took the next steps. He missed wearing a dress - the current garments felt stuffy. It wasn't helping that the weather was quite humid outside. 

"Raab raab". (We could probably request a few dresses). 

They were approaching a common meeting room when the soldiers crossed their spear at its entrance. 

"Only the king and his male companion are allowed to enter this hall!" one of the soldiers spoke loudly.

"What if the assistant is a female?" asked King Goh. 

"Male only is allowed!!!" 

"Raab raab". (This country is not as genderfluid as ours). 

"Hmm…" the king was thoughtful for a while. Then he used his sleeves to hide his face as he chanted a spell on the driver. The spell allowed him to see and hear what the driver was seeing and hearing while they were still in the meeting room. 

"Your highness, perhaps we shall move on to the harem's tea room. The queen and a few of the king's consorts were all waiting for your attendance. It would be best if we do not let them wait too long", a female slave lowered herself when she spoke to him. 

"Perhaps we should head there instead", the king agreed and he followed the slave's stead to the tea room. 

When Lord Raboot and the driver entered the hall, King Ash was already waiting with Advisory Officer Clemont. The driver nervously took a seat while Lord Raboot, despite being against it in its mind, settled on the king's laps to pretend to be the king's pet. 

"I hope you have slept well, King Goh", the Yadon King addressed the driver.

"I did. The mattress has been brilliant. I have a good night", said the driver. 

"Then, shall we proceed with the discussion of the terms you are willing to provide for the signing of this alliance?"

"Raab raab". (Tell him that you would like to have one night to think about your decision. We need time to discuss about their terms). 

"If I could have a night to think about what we are going to discuss right here, it would be very much appreciated", said the driver. 

"We can give you time at your request", said Ash. Many kingdom rulers would have a night to think over but in the end, the terms from Yadon Kingdom were never too unreasonable for them to call off the signing. 

The discussion proceeded between the king and King Goh's stand in. The Yadon Government requested that the following terms were agreed upon:

  * In terms of trade, Vermillion is to assist the expansion of trade routes to reach other kingdoms surrounding it. 
  * Slowpokes farming exports shall have its taxation waivered and in return, a product from Vermillion will also be declared free of taxation in Yadon. 
  * In terms of alliance assistance, Vermillion is to assist any countries under the protection of Yadon Kingdom, shall it be necessary. Yadon Kingdom will also aid the countries when necessary. 
  * Should there be a feud between friendly neighbours, the king of Yadon will have the right to adjudicate their terms and propose a term that benefits both sides. 
  * A good number of 400000 men cavalry will instantly be deployed after the alliance is forged to strengthen Vermillion's cavalry units. 
  * Intelligence knowledge shall be made transparent when required by Yadon Government. Yadon has the right to refuse intel from their side.
  * If any of the above is breached or if there would be found any forgery or treachery, the terms shall be revisited and Yadon reserve the right to enforce stricter terms or to add clauses onto the allied kingdom's existing deed. 
  * The agreement would be sealed when Yadon King accepted a ward into his harem as a representative of the alliance. 



  
  


"These are the main terms we would like to put forth for negotiation", Ash said after Clemont finished reading the draft of the deed. 

"Raab Raab". (The king put forth some very disadvantaged terms for our side. Seems like we can only answer it tomorrow. Ask him if we can add terms from our side).

"King Ash, surely there would be room for additional clauses from Vermillion?" asked the driver carefully. 

"As long as they are reasonable and within reasons, we are willing to hear any additional terms that Vermillion would like to add to the deed", said the king. 

"Thank you, my king", said the driver. 

"Then would you care to join me and my advisor to tour our city center?" asked King Ash. 

The driver meekly nodded. There wasn't much that he could do at this point but to agree. As they were following King Ash, the driver picked up Raboot to make it easier for him to speak in low voice. 

"Lord Raboot, at this rate we are going to return to Vermillion without the king". 

"Raab raab". (We should do something about this). 

"... Will you hear me out?" 

"Raab raab". (It was your plan that got us in this situation). 

He could feel multiple arrows stabbing his chest but he wasn't going to keep the idea to himself because this time, it would surely fix the situation. 

"Lord Raboot, trust me, it's a good idea". 

Raboot raised its paw to tell him to continue.

"Here is my plan. I will tell the king that there is a tradition in our country, like the kiss soul contract but the condition is not to kiss but to ask for his hand, and if the king and the intended are not properly bonded, it will kill the father of the intended. For them to bond properly, the intended has to accept the king's proposal. If His Majesty refused, then we can tell them we will send another ward as replacement. His Majesty can come home with us". 

Lord Raboot held both of the driver's cheeks and squished them in appreciation. There were times when this man can actually cook up something good. 

"Raab raab". (Sometimes your head can be useful. We'll go with that). 

Once they boarded the carriage, the driver waited until it was the right moment and released a dramatic, heavy sigh. He did it a few times, each time exhaled longer and louder, incurring the Yadon King's curiosity. 

"Ahhhhhhhhh", he slapped a hand to cover his forehead and pressed against the carriage door in fake sorrow. 

"What's troubling you?" asked the king. A long sigh like that concerned him. 

"I am troubled, my king. In my country, binding two people is not an easy feat". 

King Ash had heard that some kingdoms practiced taboo. From how the King of Vermillion reacted, it must be a serious one to follow. 

"Is there a taboo that we must follow?" asked Ash. 

"There is indeed, my king. For as the father, I will fall ill if this taboo is broken", the driver cried fake tears and made sobbing noises to earn his pity. It was working, for King Ash looked as if he was taking empathy on the driver's words. 

"Tell me what we should do to stop the consequence of the taboo", asked the King. 

"For a soul binding to go properly, my daughter has to accept your proposal, my king". 

The king looked thoughtful. "Then if she said no and we still press on?" 

"I will die, my king. If it makes you feel better, I can replace my princess with another ward if it didn't go well". 

King Ash was deep in thought, his shellder crown tipped over his head as he kept his chin down.

"This is a serious repercussion. Then I will ask for her hand properly". 

The driver and Raboot were both rejoicing at the outcome. If things were to turn for the better, then they would all be returning home safely. 

They were lucky that the king was a gullible man. 

\----------

  
  


King Goh sat with his knees tucked in seiza inside a small house made of bamboo and wooden structure. The paper made sliding doors had beautiful flower motifs etched onto them. The smell of tatami mat hit his nose sharply causing him to sneeze. 

"Forgive me", the king felt his nose becoming stuffier, "the smell is something that I am not used to", he apologized to the four women who had raised an eyebrow at his action. 

Queen Delia made a gesture to cover half her face with her sleeves. "It will take some time before a young girl like you can get used to the scent in this palace. While there are some grand palace buildings that are made from marbles and stones, the harem is built on woods and bamboo".

"Is that so, Her Majesty?" Goh replied. He had a lot of questions, primarily revolving around the need for him to be in the queen and the king 's consorts audience. 

"These are a few of the main consorts in the harem. There are more but only those who are truly coveted by the king would really be holding a high rank in the harem", the queen gestured towards three other consorts whose face showed no emotions. It was staggering at how well the princesses controlled their demeanour - it was more of a professional introduction than a friendly one. 

"Why don't you get to know about each other?" the queen suggested . 

The first princess, wearing a brown bun kept upwards with a hair stick ornament, put both of her hands on the floor and lowered her head. "I am Princess Serena. I am the mother to Princess Bella. From the Kingdom of Lumiose".

She sat upright and looked at King Goh sternly. The other two princesses followed after her. 

"I am Princess Iris, mother to Princess Kayla. From the Kingdom of Opelucid". 

"I am Princess Dawn, mother to Princess Cherry. From a small kingdom called Twinleaf".

They were all here for the same reason - in exchange for their kingdom's protection, they were given a place in the harem. Smaller or weaker nations that couldn't breeze over a storm will sit in a pile of rubble if they didn't do anything to protect themselves. 

The three consorts looked at her expectantly and it made him realize that they were waiting for his introduction. 

"I-I'm Princess Gou. From the Kingdom of Vermillion". 

Finding the introduction adequate, the queen called the slaves to bring in tea and desserts. Among the dishes presented, he saw the mousse that he had the night before. He thinned his lips as he waited for the dish to be put in front of him.

They ate in silence and Goh appreciated it because it was at that moment, King Ash's voice interrupted the silence. Only he could hear them, of course, but he listened to the terms closely to assess the changes that need to be made. 

It was after the tea when the queen decided to prolong their time together.

"The Kingdom of Vermillion is the only kingdom that practices magic. Tell us more about it", asked Queen Delia. 

" I…. Can't do magic like the king and the wizards and witches. I can only tell you Vermillion has a lot of mountains and inside it lies a lot of secrets". It wasn't a lie that the ward of Vermillion couldn't do magic but his identity wasn't the truth either. 

Then they talked about their hobbies and the specialty of their kingdoms. Along the line, the conversation took a turn where the princesses were talking about King Ash and painted a picture of a very different king. 

He sounded gentle. 

He sounded awkward. 

He sounded inelegant and spontaneous. 

He sounded like a man no one should rely on. 

" _Is the king the same person as the smug, smooth and dependable man I've met?! This is quite alarming"._ Goh tried to follow their conversation while thinking about the difference in personalities. 

"Oh is he such a man?" Goh replied when Dawn told him about how Ash was found to be talking to a slowpoke to encourage it to lay an egg just because he happened to be the only one there. He even made the soldiers who found him like that to build a nest for it. If it was left to Goh, it should be let alone to do whatever it was supposed to do. 

"When you meet the king in person, then you will get to see his real self. He is a very kind man", said Dawn. 

"He is a little childish but he can surprise you", Iris chipped in. Serena was the only one who just sipped her tea quietly but she wasn't disputing their words. 

Goh saw the bigger picture. The woman here wasn't being coveted by the king. They were the ones that were passionate about the king. 

"He sounds like an **interesting** man", Goh smiled as he retorted. How was he going to leave this kingdom at this rate? Technically, at this very moment, they were talking as if he was going to permanently stay there. Nothing was supposed to have been set in stone, wasn't it? 

"Oh he is. He is also amazing with Pokemon battles", said Dawn. 

"... I'd love to see that", Goh said. Pokemon fighting huh? His country didn't have pokemon battles - the pokemon there were treated like people since the citizens were able to understand what the pokemon were saying due to the magic spells casted on people who were born and bred on Vermillion's land. The pokemons had careers and intelligence to carry out economic activities. They were the same as people. 

In short, he wasn't familiar with pokemon fighting. 

"Most countries have pokemon battles annually as one of the sports events ", explained Serena after being quiet for a while. 

"We don't have that in Vermillion", Goh admitted. However, he wasn't sure if it would be any fun. The idea of pokemon battling sounded brutal to him. 

"What kind of sports event do you have?" asked Iris. 

"Galarian Rapidash Race. The riders can use magic to stunt other racers from reaching the end line but nothing too dangerous".

"Galarian Rapidash?" asked Dawn. 

"It's a horse pokemon we train to outrace any ride Pokemons. Although, the best ones are only from eggs". 

When it was getting dark out, the queen let the consorts return to their chambers. Goh offered a curtsy to each of them and bowed at the queen before retiring to his own chamber. 

He was strutting along the marbled corridors in the kimono with two slaves following behind him and with numb legs from the long sitting. They were sitting in seiza form for long hours and it made his knees suffer from it. Maybe it was due to exhaustion that he misstepped and had almost landed on face flat. 

Except he didn't. 

An arm was slung around his waist to capture him and he looked up. 

There it was the king in thinner layers of yukata of sorts. It seemed that he had changed out of his fancy robe. 

" _What kind of romance tropes is this?_ " Goh thought, feeling his face warmly heating up while looking at the king like a blundering idiot. 


	12. Roses are Red

It would be better if it had ended with just King Ash capturing him and helped him to stand and Goh would be on his way to his chamber. That would have been a hundred times better in terms of the scenarios that could've happened. 

King Ash had a different plan. When he realized that Goh was having difficulty standing up due to his tired legs - the heavy kimono just adding the weight on him - he was scooped off the ground like a princess (technically he was a princess at the moment) and was brought to a nearby gazebo to rest. 

"I'm fine. I-I-I can walk on my own, His Majesty!" Goh stuttered while hiding his face in his sleeves. Ash had never seen a person react like Goh did before in his arms (he had so many wives and they allowed him to carry them without much of a struggle) and had to chin up higher to hide his own embarrassed face. 

Ash carefully sat Goh on a wooden bench. The gazebo was surrounded by red roses and the wind that blew dispersed the smell. It would be a pleasant night, if it hadn't been for the fact that the slaves that were accompanying him decided to leave him alone with the king just because Ash commanded them too. 

His dramatic inner self was screaming for them to come back. King Ash wasn't pacing back and forth, his arms folded in front of him as if he had something to say. Goh followed the king's pacing with his eyes -  _ what was going on and why was the king pacing _ , he thought.

"Um…" Goh opened up his mouth to say something, "His Majesty could let me know what He is thinking right now, if he is troubled by something". 

"It's about your father's words he has said to me when we were touring outside. It has been haunting me. I thought I want to talk to you about it tomorrow but since you are here, I feel like it would be faster to just ask you here". 

_ Did the two of them talk about things outside of my command?  _ The spell he casted was only for inside the meeting room. Beyond it, he had no idea of what had been said. 

"What did he tell His Majesty?" 

"He said that it is Vermillion's tradition that the women are asked properly by the person who wanted to bind with them. That he is sad that you are not going to follow it and he will fall ill because of it since it's a taboo".

_ The two of them made up the greatest of figs. When did we ever have that kind of tradition?  _ Goh tried his best to hide his unamused face with his sleeves. There were quite a number of taboos in Vermillion. For example, a kiss was only saved for the person you truly love because a kiss would be a lifelong contract between the partners. Or having their first night should not be done when there was no moon in the sky or you would be ill for weeks. Courting was never a taboo in the magic realm and so the story they cooked up for it was actually humorous. He was still unamused though. 

Meanwhile, Ash took it as a sign that the princess was heartbroken that her father might fall ill from it. 

"It's serious, isn't it? You must be sad that such things can happen to your father". 

Did he just believe them?  _ King Ash, you're so stupid to fall for that.  _

"But what if you don't agree to stay?" the king asked. 

That was a tough question but he went for a perfect answer to create a window of opportunity. "His Majesty should find a way to surprise me because if my father will fall ill, I might have to go back home with my father so that he will live a long and healthy life as a king". 

Ash immediately tried to think of something to impress the princess. He didn't want the king to kick the bucket because of something that could have been prevented. There was one point that he knew the princess liked in the short span of time they were together. 

"You should stay because we have the best mousse in the world!" 

_ Are you trying to bribe me with food?  _ Goh blinked, trying to fathom the words. The princess' reaction was that of mere confusion and Ash knew he had to do better to impress her. He tried to squeeze every idea that he could come out with but all he could think was the moment when he first saw the princess. 

"We have a lot of pokemons in Yadon. I'm sure you'd like to understand them better". 

"His Majesty, I can do that in my own time in Vermillion". 

The clock was ticking. If only there was something Ash could say that would convince the princess. He didn't want to give up - his instinct told him that. 

If there was a time when he was pulled towards her, it would be that time when he'd first seen her in the throne hall. 

"I… Do you remember the craft on the pillar you were looking at when you first arrived?" 

Goh nodded as he looked back into his memory and remembered the beautiful carving of the legendaries. 

"There is a myth behind it", said the king. 

"I'd love to hear about it, His Majesty". 

"The two legendaries, Lugia and Lunala, they both met because fate allows the two to meet", said Ash. Behind Goh, the king could see the Lugia constellation illuminating brightly. He wondered how many times he had found the princess mesmerising. 

The king looked around to search for the most beautiful rose in the thicket only to see the one stemming out next to the princess. 

"You see, I feel like there might be something special about you. I don't understand it but I know it's enough reason to ask you to stay", Ash carefully chose his word and plucked the rose next to her. 

"Will you do me the honour? Maybe our meeting is fated", he gently slipped the stalk to sit next to her beautiful lock. 

Goh wasn't thinking when he said yes. It was so small but was loud enough to be heard by the king. 

He didn't remember how he got back. Didn't even process what they were doing after that. He only knew that King Ash was beaming the whole time they were at the gazebo. 

He changed out of the kimono, pulled the blanket, blew off the candle and slept. 

\-------

"I demand to see my daughter!!!!" King Goh roused from the commotion outside, yawning and took his time to see what was going on at the door. When he opened it, he saw Lord Raboot and the driver bickering with the guards about the visitation. 

Goh gave the guards a puppy look to let them allow the driver and Raboot into the chamber. At first, the guards were hesitant but since they were family members, they allowed the driver and Raboot into Goh's chamber. 

When the door was shut, the driver sat at the end of the huge bed and looked at the king expectantly . 

"... Oh, right. About the deal, request that our Magikarp scales would be traded without taxation. The rest of the clauses can be accepted but request for amendment on the intelligence sharing part. We should be allowed to access some form of intel like historical and pokemon study", Goh, in his half awake state, chattered away. He had come up with the few changes during the live discussion yesterday. 

"Raab raab". (As you wish, His Majesty). 

Their staring didn't cease and Goh felt like he was under scrutiny. He raised an eyebrow to ask if there were any issues that he had missed. If there is, it would be better if they used the opportunity now to rectify the problem. 

"Raab raab". (Last night, did King Ash speak to His Majesty in person?). 

"Ah…."

Flashbacks of last night began to manifest in his mind. 

Yes, yes he did and Goh had closed the door he opened to trap himself inside it. The king became a pile of goo on the floor to mourn about his mistakes, hugging his knees close to his chest. He could not believe that he got swayed by some words from another king. 

"H-How did it go? Did His Majesty refuse the offer?". 

"We were caught up by the moment and agreed". 

A long heavy silence danced around them. It was even heavier than a boulder. 

After a few minutes of gawking, their bodies were set in motion. 

Lord Raboot facepalmed with its paw while the driver shed a small tear. There was a glimpse of hope and the glimpse was gone like a fleeting dream. In the carriage, they had to lower their pride to talk about an almost nonexistent tradition with cry worthy tales just to open up a small chance to escape. Their dramatic effort had gone to waste. 

"Raab raab". (His Majesty must have known that it was a perfect opportunity to leave this kingdom?) 

"We made an obviously a stupid mistake. The heart of a princess could be swayed easily even though we aren't one in our head". 

"But his majesty is his own self eventhough he is now in a body of a princess," The driver reminded Goh how the changes could not have influenced his decision. 

_ Point taken.  _ Goh could feel his own mind reeling from it. He was still himself. He made that decision and so he had to hold himself accountable. 

"Raab raab". (His Majesty sounds like a man in love). 

"Pff, Lord Raboot is insane to think that". 

The three allowed the heavy silence to settle before the king suddenly sat up and turned to look at them. His face was genuinely red and he looked as if the end of the world was just around the corner. 

"I'm a man. I should not be having this kind of feeling for a man. I don't know why but my chest is beating up so fast just thinking about last night". The king dropped his formality to rant about his emotional struggle. 

"Ehm… Did something happen last night?" asked the driver curiously. 

"We were just sitting at the Gazebo. That was all". It sounded like nothing happened but in his head, everything happened. The king returned to lie back on his side and hoped that a miracle would happen. 

While the king was drowning in his misery, the soldiers guarding the entrance knocked on the door to let them know that it was time to leave. Sounds like the visiting time was coming to an end for the two.

"His Majesty, please think of something. His Majesty needs to return with us. The country cannot run without a ruler", the driver said before leaving the chamber. 

Goh pulled his sideburn to frame his cheeks.  _ What have I done? _


	13. Raboot and the King

The Kingdom of Yadon was quaked by the announcement of the town criers announced all around the country that the king would be accepting the ward of Vermillion into his harem and she would be given an Honourable Consort rank like Princess Dawn, Princess Iris and Princess Serena. They had thought that Princess Serena would be the last to be granted with the title and the news spread across the country like wildfire. It became a topic of discussions on the street, in the bars and at home. 

When a consort is chosen to have the honorable title, she will most likely bear the king's child. Some of the citizens were against it since Princess Serena, they believed should be the next queen but others were open to the idea of having a new candidacy for the position. 

Despite the varying opinions, the palace ground was busy preparing for the Bestowal Ceremony. The agreement deeds had been stamped with Royal stamp by the Vermillion Party (King Goh had succumbed to the fact that it was nearly impossible to escape from his fate right now). King Ash allowed the deed rectification to be made and had told them the news that he would be honouring the princess with a grand title and that they should be happy. 

The Vermillion party had no choice but to accept the gesture. 

A little explanation about the harem ranking system goes as such. The harem was divided into six levels. Advisory level consisted of the retired queen. Queenship would be given to the woman who was to be the queen. Honourable consorts would be given to the wards that earned the king's favour and the consorts in this rank would most likely bear a child with the king. Currently, Dawn, Iris and Serena were the only honourable consorts in this rank. In ordinary consorts would be wards that were representatives of their kingdoms but would not be touched by the king unless they were promoted with the title of honourable consorts and lastly, the Responder, the group of people who help to run the harem, from slaves, servants to Eunuchs officers. 

"Raab raab". (The king sure had taken a great liking to his majesty). 

Raboot said when the three of them were alone in the garden. From the sideline, they were watching the slaves and the officers decorating the palace with new drapes and vases. Goh was watching the whole preparation with a heavy cloud over his head. 

He had been upset after the event that cost him his freedom and had been locking himself in the chamber to wonder about how he could handle the affair of Vermillion when he wasn't even on its ground. There was also the thought that he would be the only one left behind and at least he wanted a company. 

None of which he had voiced out to the two of his companions. 

"Raab raab". (Sire, are you feeling unwell?) 

"I… I'm just wondering how can I run a country from here…. And… That I will be alone here", Goh let his worry known. 

Raboot, it had been the king's friend for a long time. It was alone at first and then was raised with a family of poor Nickits. It was the king that found it on the street one day and decided to be its friend. When he was just a Scorbunny, it would always come to the castle to play with Goh and in return, Goh would let him pick something to bring home to the Nickits. They grew up together and it took upon itself to learn and study to become the king's advisor. 

As a friend, Raboot will not abandon Goh. 

"Raab raab". (I will stay here with His Majesty). 

The king stared at it, disbelieving of what he had just heard. 

"Raab raab". (His Majesty is my king and it is my duty to make sure he is safe from harm). 

"That's very honourable". Of course, it was a part of its job. 

Raboot on the other hand wasn't finished . "Raab raab". (As a friend, His Majesty is very precious to me. He had done a lot and so it's my turn to return his grace to me).

"Lord Raboot…." the king was teary eyes and a soft smile curved on his face. He was touched by the declaration and pulled it into a warm embrace. The driver used a napkin to wipe his own tears. No heart wouldn't be touched by the show of affections between good friends. 

However, Raboot wasn't the only one noticing the king's mood that was going south. They had only known each other for a few days but King Ash was in tune with Goh's feelings. Ever since the stamping exchange, Goh had been cooped up in his room. It must be hard for a princess to leave her homeland in this manner. 

Lord Raboot and the driver watched the man in the distance approaching them slowly. 

"Raab raab". (His Majesty's beloved is coming over). 

".... Lord Raboot!!!" Goh scolded at the teasing. 

"Good evening, my king", the driver stood and greeted the young king. 

"Good evening. I hope everything is well", replied Ash. 

"Would you be fine if I were to borrow Princess Gou for a while?" asked Ash. 

"It would depend on how the princess feels about it". 

Ash looked at Goh with hopes glittering in his eyes. It was the kind of look that he couldn't say no too.  _ Weak _ , he scolded himself when he gave in and allowed himself to be dragged to wherever the king wanted to bring him to. He did receive smirks from the two - they were looking at him with knowing eyes. 

Meanwhile, Raboot and the driver waited for them to be quite far before deciding to follow them in secret. The palace was blessed with tall thickets, making it easier for them to hide from sight. Their trail stopped in front of a huge door where the king's guards had shut them and crossed their spear to stop anyone from entering. 

"Raab raab". (Why are they in there?)

"Pika…" (I wonder what Ash is doing?) 

Raboot flinched, knocking the driver over and had almost used Hi Jump Kick on the interrupting pokemon. 

"Pikapi?". (Did I scare you?) 

"Raab raab". (Who are you?) 

"Pikachu!" (I'm Pikachu. Ash's buddy. Nice to meet you!) 

"Raab raab". (I didn't know he has a pokemon) 

"Pika!" (I saw your speech to the princess. It was beautiful, Lord Raboot). 

"Raab Raab". (How did you know my title?) 

"Pikapi". (I saw your speech. But it was weird how you keep saying His Majesty to her. I've heard people address a king like that). 

How did this Pikachu manage to sneak up on them? This was dangerous. Raboot tried to fix the situation. 

"Raab". (It was a slip of the tongue). 

"Pikapi". (It's a pity she can't understand you. At least I was there to admire such beautiful friendship. Let me give you a pat) The Pikachu tapped Raboot's back. 

It was necessary that the Pikachu didn't know that Raboot could talk with the human and so when the driver finally regained his composure, the Rabbit pokemon pulled Pikachu with it to the room where Goh was inside. 

"Pikapi". (This is Ash's study chamber)

"Raab raab". (Yadon Kingdom is grandiose with everything. Our castle study doesn't have a door like this). 

"Pikapi". (Just wait until you see the interior. Follow me. I'll bring you inside). 

"Raab raab". (Is there another way?) 

"Pikapika!"(I'll show you. Come on!!) 

Raboot and Pikachu crossed the palace to the North Wing. There stood a Lucario statue and Pikachu went behind the narrow gap that can only fit small pokemons like them. There was a small opening and they squeezed in, only to find themselves in a sort of air vent. 

It took awhile for them to arrive at the study. There were a lot of complicated turns and the whole vent smelled like Pikachu. It seemed that it used it so frequently that it could be said, this space belonged to Pikachu. 

"Pikapi". (This is the study room. Can you see it?) 

Raboot looked through the ventilation opening. It wasn't a study. This place was a grand library with stacks of scrolls, records and books arranged on shelves that were four times the height of the bookshelves they've installed back in Vermillion Castle. The flooring was marble and pillars and walls were finished with sand coloured ceramic pieces. There was only one study table and two pieces of chairs stationed right in front of a huge Picture window. 

Goh was known throughout the country to be a collector of books and he already had a huge collection in his own study. Raboot wondered how the king would react upon seeing such a magnificent place. 

The two pokemon searched the forms of the two kings from above. When it landed, the rabbit pokemon felt its face reddened from its neck to the tip of its ears while his brain felt drained with the incoming problem. 

"Pikapi". (Oh, they are kissing. Is that allowed before the ceremony?)

Pikachu didn't understand and so it played down on it. 

But when you kissed in Vermillion's terms, it would be a lifelong contract of loyalty. If they were to lose each other, they would be lost. Such was the rule of the magic kingdom. This was especially true for the king and thus, marriage to suitors had been done carefully within the royalty's group. 

"Raab raab". (I can feel my headache getting worse). 


	14. Soul contract

_ Recap summary: _

_ Raboot, the king's advisor had realized how the neighbouring countries were amping up their military efforts outside of Vermillion's border. It advised the king to send his ward, Princess Chloe, to be sent to Yadon Kingdom to seal an alliance. At first, King Goh was hesitant since he cares for Princess Chloe. However, the king realized that they were being driven to a corner and made preparations to make the agreement.  _

_ Along the way, the carriage they were riding on was being followed by a group of people. Chloe knocked the king with his staff and swapped their gender using a potion prepared by Ren. She became a decoy while the carriage carrying the king proceeded to move on to Azalea's harbour. There, the king, his driver and Raboot set sail to Yadon Kingdom to continue with the arrangement. They came up with a plan to avoid having Goh being taken into the royal harem. However, their plans were being decimated as King Ash appeared to be quite a formidable opponent when it comes to escaping.  _

_ End of recap _

Taboos and lores, these two components came naturally when a human got together in a society. While lores were stories created to beautify their everyday arrangements, taboos were made to protect the people from a dangerous consequence. Lores then were made to perpetuate the craft of the mind while taboos were an accumulation of events that had happened in the past. 

Since the old days bear no records on papers, people passed lores and taboos by words of the mouth and thus, they were always short and simple. Some taboos were irrefutable because the effect was instant and the person would experience it the moment it was broken. These types of taboos then had become a part of the more imminent culture with how apparent the effect was if not done right.

The significance of taboos also depended on the area the kingdom was built on and the way their society lived. For example, Yadon Kingdom had their own set of taboos but they were not consequential enough to be followed. For example, a person should never point at the slowpoke tail of another person because it was considered as if you're demeaning him or her. However, between families and friends, it could easily be ignored due to how close they were with each other. 

Taboos on the other hand were taken seriously by people in The Kingdom of Vermillion. The reason was because of how heavy the consequence was for the parties involved. For example, a person leaving their house should always leave an upside down maple leaf at the front door because if they didn't, dark magical energy would enter the house and poison it with negative energy. 

Such was the difference between the two kingdoms. Not only that they were far from one another, the polarity of their living style was eminent. 

This contrast proved to be a conundrum for King Goh and King Ash. 

\--------

It started with just a simple exchange of conversation. They were talking about the weather and how it was a nice day out. Ash had pointed from a small hill at his ranch where they could see a number of Taurus standing in a herd. He had a few more pokemons that he raised, promising to show them to Goh another day. 

Then they were talking about the preparation of the ceremony. A dress had been made to make it easier for Goh to wear since the last time he was donned in kimono, his feet could feel like it was going to break from all the weight and sitting. In fact, they've prepared more dresses to wear daily but he was still required, on certain occasions, to wear ceremonial kimono. 

The breeze greeted them gently and Goh tucked his strands behind his ears. Ash snuck a look and when he was caught, they both turned their faces away shyly. 

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to see something grand", asked Ash. 

"If His Majesty would like to, I will gladly accompany". 

"Then let me bring you there", Ash unconsciously took Goh's hand which earned him a surprised look. Goh felt the warmth that radiated from his hand - it was inviting and his own fingers curled around it albeit hesitantly but it snug right in. 

How can he lose himself in this moment? He told himself he didn't need anyone in his life and yet, here he was, holding on onto something impossible. There was a dire need to pull away while he could but his heart heavily rejected it. 

A crazy thing was happening to him. 

_ Why do I want to hold on?  _ He asked himself.

The answer was a foreign beat drumming in his ears when they entered the door that lead them to an amazing compilation of books and records, whose pillars rose for feets above the grounds, whose tiles shone brilliantly, reflecting the illuminating light from the window. 

And right in the center of his vision, King Ash's back was visible. 

"Do you like it?" Ash asked after taking off his shellder crown.

"This is the best thing I've seen". Goh admitted, already fetching a book from the shelves to check its cover. 

Goh flipped open the pages and began to read the lines contentedly. "This one talks about the source of aura. Interesting. Why do you have this kind of book?" 

"My ancestors kept them around. Although, I found no use in it". 

"You even have a grimoire", said Goh. He started to build a pile in his hands.

"You're going to read all that?" 

"I can continue reading for a few days without sleep". 

"Really? I thought princesses will have to spend some of the hours for their beauty sleep?" 

"Well, I'm not that princess". Goh looked up, his eyebrows knitted together disapproving the notion of what a princess should be. 

Ash didn't know how an angry lady would be attractive. He had many wives and when they were angry, they could be his nightmare the next hour. However, at this moment, everything he saw in the princess, whatever that was shown to him, changed a lot of his opinion about an angry person, man and woman alike. 

He scooted closer and leaned in to capture the lips of the beholder. It was strange, the kiss. He couldn't hear anything else besides his own heartbeat and a warm energy ran through his body with a pleasant sensation. He coaxed with his tongue so that her lips would part, giving him the room to deepen the kiss. She tasted delicate, like a fluttering feather and they parted a little, still able to feel each other's breath. He leaned in again for another taste. 

When he felt wet tears against his cheeks, Ash snapped out of it and pulled away. 

"I'm sorry", he said when she was trying to hide her crying face with the books in her hands. 

"Don't say you're sorry. Don't make it sound like you regret it", Goh cried but his voice lacked angry intent. 

"Then how can I make it better?" Ash walked closer. He grabbed both sides of his arms and led her to sit on the floor with him

"You can't. It's too late now that I can't leave this place". 

Goh hugged the books closer. The king knew nothing about how chaste a kiss was to a magician like him. What they were now was something that should never be. 

Ash peeled the book one by one from Goh's hands. He took Goh's hand and caressed it gently. 

"I'll treasure you". 

"You don't know anything about me". 

"Then I'll learn with you about us".

_ Don't say things like that _ . Goh wanted to say but he knew he couldn't utter a single truth to Ash. 

He felt himself being pulled closer into a hug. 

In this room, there are things that were better left unsaid. 

\---------

The preparation was done and the country soared with a vibe that raised their kingdom's spirits of celebrations. Songs of slowpokes and its comedy theater loitered the streets. There were marches of jesters and pokemon dances to entertain the crowd. 

The streets were alive and free foods were handed out to the poor so that they could all be merry on this very day. The crowds cheered when knights in armour, the heroes of their land rode on their ride Pokemons. Between the cheering people, a young boy in a rag attire, munched on his bread to fill up his stomach. The boy had seen the banners - today was a ceremony of Bestowal by the king and his wards. He had heard about the king's consort, a beautiful princess from Vermillion, and a lot of people were wondering what she would look like. 

The thing is… That ward was supposed to be herself. 

The boy in rag cloth and barefeet was in fact Chloe, now reduced and untransformed back to her original body. Still a male but now a boy. 

Chloe didn't have magic but at the moment, she was carrying the magic staff in her. It all started when she fell from the Rapidash. The staff was a magic staff and for a very strange reason, it was absorbed into her body and changed her adult male form into a boy. When Chloe came to, she found herself riding a slave traders wagon together with other children. They had changed her out of the king's attire where the traders were making money from it and gave her a rag outfit instead. Many days they travelled and with the other children, she found herself crying to sleep thinking about her fate. 

But one girl stood out more than anyone. Her name was Lillie. The way she spoke wasn't that of a slave. Growing curious, Chloe tried to make friends with her and discovered that she was a kidnapped daughter of a Noble in Alola Region. 

When they arrive at a ruined castle, the traders stop to rest. That was when she gathered some rocks within her reach and broke the chain with them. Then she broke the rusting rods and the children made their escape from the traders. 

Many days they travelled on foot and were just relying on berries. When they arrived at a small jetty, they snuck into a pirate's ships and sailed with the pirates while trying to hide their presence. When they were almost discovered, luck had it that a harbour was nearby and they managed to take a small raft and rowed to the land. 

They arrived just in time for a celebration. For the first time in months, Chloe finally ate a loaf of bread and she was thankful from the bottom of her heart. 

"Sota", Lillie called Chloe by her fake name. 

"Uhuh. What's wrong?" 

"Do you think my mother will be there and my brother too?" 

"Where?" 

"In the palace. They are nobles. Maybe they're here for the ceremony". 

"So you want us to go inside the palace?" asked Chloe, looking around at the other children. They looked pale and tired. There were twelve of them and it would be hard to move around sneakily when they were this exhausted. 

"We don't have to do it today". 

Chloe nodded at the thought. Honestly, she wanted to find out who was this ward that had been sent from Vermillion to Yadon Kingdom. 

"Come, we should find ourselves a good place to sleep for the night", Chloe gathered the children around. The city was amazingly large but most of the lanes looked dangerous for them to stay there. Deciding to go a little further, the children ended up in a field that had a villa standing tall right in the middle . 

There is a tree a few hundred meters from it and at least, the branches will shade them from rainfall. 

"Let's sleep here", said Chloe. The other children followed her and they hugged close to each other. The night would be cold and the only warmth they had was from each other. 


	15. The problem of being a woman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An interesting problem has occured to Goh. 😇

The ceremony continued on after the king and his honourable consort exchanged their wine cups after having a sip. Kings and Queens from the neighbouring kingdoms made the effort to turn up at the ceremony. When they were told the princess was beautiful, the princess  **was** beautiful. 

Eyes were wandering at her - kings were pinched by their escorts for even taking a few seconds too long to look at the princess. The King of Yadon Kingdom had really caught himself an eye candy comparable to the other beauties in his harem. 

All the consorts were also present. Since tonight was the ceremony for Princess Gou, she was allowed to sit next to the king while the other consorts were given seats in another table. The princess' father (the driver), sat next to her to enjoy the night. He was crying tears of sadness. It seemed the king of Vermillion was greatly affected by this. 

"Lord Raboot, please take care of hi---her", he quickly amended the pronouns. This was the saddest day of the Kingdom of Vermillion. Their king would not return anytime soon and the driver had a lot to answer once he returned. 

"Raab raab". (I'll do my best. You just need to tell the commissioners about what happened here. The predecessor's king needs to rise back in power intermittently). 

"I can't believe you kissed", the driver sobbed into his sleeves. 

"Raab raab". (We'll figure out how to break the bond. Go back and make sure you relay the message to Ren, Chrysa, Hodge and Visquez). 

"In a year", the driver sobbed, "I'll be waiting for your return". 

The people around them dismissed it as a king talking to his beloved pet. They had made an arrangement for Raboot to stay behind as a companion to the princess. It wasn't a strange thing to do - a lot of the wards actually have a pokemon as their companion. 

At the honourable consorts' table, Dawn, Iris and Serena were eating their food in silence. All of them felt a small pang in their hearts.

"He never looks so happy", said Iris, watching the king showing different types of sweets to the princess. 

"He is always happy", Serena retorted, while taking a piece of the potato cube with the chopstick. 

"You know that's not the kind of happiness I was talking about. He is an easygoing man but that doesn't mean he is happy". 

"Iris, don't you feel it? He is happy with all of us. This is the same as always", Dawn put down her chopsticks. 

"Fine, do whatever you like. At least, I am not the one running away from it", Iris said and took a bite of the mutton. Dawn was wrong. This wasn't the same as always. They had had their ceremony. They ought to know that it had been gallant but professional. 

The way Ash was leaning closer to Gou. The way Ash was excitedly teaching her about the dishes prepared by the best chef in the kingdom. The way Ash was letting himself enjoy the night. The way he was continuously looking at the other. The way he relaxed when he was having a small chat with the princess and his family. 

These fragments of happiness were a different shard than what the three of them had experienced. 

"I am in her shoes but I am only half in", Iris sighed. 

"He'll come to his senses", Serena softly whispered. She loved him more than anyone else in the room and yet here she was, waiting for a moment to happen where Ash would finally see her and would take a step back from the princess. 

"I hope you're right", said Iris. The night went on, not stopping for anyone at all. 

"I hope you're right. 

\-------

They were going to share a sleeping chamber, Goh noted. Mentally, he wasn't ready for any of this. He wasn't born a woman and now he might be sleeping with the man in question like a woman. Throughout the night, he was so stressed out that his stomach felt like dying. 

It didn't help that they were already kissing and that had caused the soul contract to be formed. It also didn't help to know that your only lifeline to relay the message was only through a driver whom he hoped can be trusted to carry out his job. By the way he was sobbing, there might be hope. 

The fact that still persisted was that he would be in the king's chamber tonight. Copulating. Like a lady. Because that was what an honourable consort was. To give the king a chance to try out for babies. 

King Ash might be handsome but that didn't mean this King of Vermillion would want to sacrifice his body for him. 

"What's wrong?" asked the king when he saw how the princess had her blood drained from her face. 

"I just don't feel too well". Said Goh, his face paling as they drew deeper into the night. 

"Do you want to stay out of the crowd?" 

_ With you? Hardly. Who knows what other stupid things I would do.  _

"You don't look too well. Do you want to retire to our chamber?" 

_ NOOOOO!!!! _ "I can leave for a bit and maybe return to this seat after resting. His Majesty should be here since he is the icon of this celebration". 

Goh planned to get the king sleepy with the wines and maybe escaped their first night or pretended like they had done it but in reality they never did. All the plan making in his head was actually making him lose blood in his face. 

Concerned, Ash took the princess' hand and led her outside of the hall. 

He circled around her just to check if she was alright. Then he discovered a small little detail that might appear embarrassing for the lady. 

"Hm…you might have become uncleaned". 

Goh knew too well what the term uncleaned was used for. While a part of him was happy that it happened, he himself had no idea how to deal with the problem. 

How did a woman deal with menstruation? 

If only he had Chloe by his side right now. 

\-------------

The celebration ended when Goh told Ash that he had no idea how to deal with period. Ash, being as clueless as Goh was, returned inside the hall to find Iris, Dawn or Serena. Dawn and Iris had both returned to their chambers to look after their daughters. Serena was going to follow their stead but Ash had found her just in time and brought her over. 

What appalled her was how the princess was kneeling on the floor while trying not to sit on any surface so that she didn't stain it. 

"Um, can I be of help?" she asked. 

"I am bleeding. Am I going to die?" Goh looked up at her, his eyes watery from the prospect of dying. 

"Not at all, your highness. This is completely healthy for a lady to have the moon cycle. Is this your first time?" 

Goh nodded. 

Some of the girls had their period later and it seemed that Princess Gou was one of the girls, Serena noted. Albeit, she had never seen anyone getting it for the first time in such an age. 

"His Majesty, will you allow that if I bring Princess Gou to my chamber instead? I think it would be best if she received some guidance from me on this". 

Ash looked a little sad but he granted Serena permission to take the princess with her. 

When they arrived inside her chamber, Serena took a garter belt and prepared the cotton lining on it. It was layered with a rag to capture the moisture and she gave it to Goh who looked at it with utter confusion.

"Your highness has to put this on. But she must clean herself first in the bath".

"H-How long do I have to wear it for?" 

"Until the blood receded. I recommend that you choose red as your daily outfit while in this state. And the smell can be too strong. Your highness can carry this perfume satchet. It will eradicate some of the smell". 

"Do I just keep wearing the same one?" 

"Oh no. You have to wash and change the linen. I will tell your slaves to prepare fresh linings for you". 

The small act of kindness changed Goh's perspective of Serena. He had thought at first that she was a cold woman since the way she posed herself in the audience of the queen. 

The light brunette hair lady was kinder than he first thought. 

"Thank you, your highness", Goh said, accepting the items Serena had given him. "You are much too kind".

"I wasn't too kind to you in my head tonight", Serena admitted. "I realized my error, even if it's just a little bit". 

They could be friends if they had met under different circumstances but as of now, it wasn't something she could bound them with given the constant pressure she was getting from herself and her family. 

"I…. I'll clean myself in the bath. Again, your highness is too kind", said Goh. 

He carried the items with him to clean himself up. 


	16. Kukui and Burnet

When the sun rose, Chloe found herself tucked in on a bed. Panicking, she looked around and was relieved when she saw all of them lying on the bed, slumbering deeply. 

"Well, good morning". Chloe jumped in a startle when a woman greeted them. She turned around and saw a lady, her hair white, was happily viewing their sleeping faces. 

"G-Good morning", replied Chloe. 

"I am Lady Burnet, wife to General Kukui. We found you sleeping in the meadow. How did you end up there?" 

"I am S-Sota. We escaped the slave traders and - and we were just looking for a place to sleep". 

"Owh… The slave traders are like rats in our society. It must have been horrifying for you lots. And you're all very young". 

"We're sorry if we enter your property uninvited". 

"It's fine. I'll let my servant know to prepare for breakfast. You must be starving". 

Breakfast was joyful. The general, husband to Lady Burnet, joined them for breakfast. He was a jolly man and he told them that they weren't originally from Yadon. 

"We moved to this kingdom because of the king", said Kukui. 

"Where are you from?" asked one of the children curiously. 

"From Alola region. We are strong fighters". Kukui flexed his contoured arms when he mentioned his original birth place. 

"I'm from Alola too. I'm Lusamine's daughter, said Lillie.. 

" Lusamine…oh… We've received letters about you being gone", Lady Burnet said. "I'll write to your mother to tell her you are safe with us". 

"Please, I missed them a lot". 

"Your mother was worried. She came to us in person just a few months ago, telling how her neglect has led to your loss". 

"I want to see her because she is the only parent that I have". Lillie said sadly. 

"Um, I have someone I want to see too", Chloe said. 

"Tell us more. Maybe we could help". 

"I want to see the Vermillion's ward". 

Lady Burnet and General Kukui exchanged glances. Now this request was going to be a little tough for them to grant, given the procedure just to meet the consort was already tightly monitored. 

"We're afraid that it will take you some time before you can meet her". 

Chloe nodded and didn't reply. 

_ What's going on?  _ Was the only thought she had going through her mind. 

\-------

General Kukui was a benevolent man. He was from a noble family in Alola Region, albeit not a rich one and he was the third in line of the inheritance. Alola Region was the only location that was formed through unions of island kingdoms and after the union was made, they denounced monarchy and formed a democratic government. 

Nobles held a high position in the ruling hierarchy despite their wealth. However, since the estate was passed down to his uncle, Kukui decided to leave the Region to seek his own fate. 

He met Burnet along the journey and they were both enrolled in the army academy. From there he climbed the rank and became an officer in the cavalry unit. Upon his successful campaign around the world, no one could deny his strength and he was promoted to become the king's great general. From there on, his relationship with the king had been like father and son for the king would seek him out whenever he was troubled by issues that he could not solve. 

He married Burnet after receiving his title and they were granted a small estate of their own outside the city where the meadow was green and the sky was vast. With all the land that he received, Kukui used a small part of it to plant vegetations. His fellow acquaintances often find it a curious thing that he was willing to hack the earth for the food on the table. 

Often his answer was: from the soil sprung the trees, the vines, the ferns and the mosses and from the stems sprung the bountiful fruits and greens. These are the ingredients to the most beautiful smile, he said. 

None of the king's henchmen understood, nor were they eager to learn about it. Seeing how the twelve children were helping him carry the water pails to water the soil made him feel proud that he was passing down the knowlege to the next generation. They were hard at work and so was he. He shovelled the soil for a new bed. They were going to plant tomatoes together. 

"I'm done with this part, sir Kukui", the boy whose name was Sota informed him. His hands were covered in mud from touching the water puddle too much to slow down the water from gnawing on the soil around the tree. 

"If you could help me weed out the grass roots from this bedding", Kukui asked. Sota picked the pail next to him and brought it over to put the roots in it. 

They worked a whole day and when it was time to have dinner, Lady Burnet called them in. The children felt the sweats on their skin but they were having fun gardening. 

"Chop, chop. Get into the bath and come out fresh", Burnet said and rounding up the children to provide them with a new set of nightwear. 

The children were jolly as they scattered to find the bathroom. Taking turns, they waited in a small group, girls with girls and boys with boys. Lady Burnet then sit in front of her piano and began to sing melodious songs. The children followed along, singing and humming to the carole, enjoying every small bits of this simplicity. 

Dinner time came around and they were saying prayers for the provision of today. "May Arceus bless us with happiness everyday". 

"This is delicious", Chloe (Sota) dug into her plate. She felt the struggle of a growing boy - the hunger pang never left her and every spoon counts. If previously she could deny food and ate a small portion, after the experience of being a prisoner in a slave traders cage, she wouldn't waste a single bite.

"Sota, slow down. You might choke", Lillie scolded from the opposite side of the table. 

"If you're not going to be eating that, can I have it?" Chloe asked Lillie about the mashed potato on her plate. 

"I would like to eat everything, thank you", Lillie answered with a huff. 

"You can have seconds, Sota. We have a lot in the kitchen", Lady Burnet said. 

"Thank you. I would like that". Chloe scraped on the ribs, savoring every bites of it. 

"You're confusing", Lillie said suddenly. 

"Well, what makes you think that Lillie?" asked Chloe. 

"One moment, you would behave like a nobility and another moment, you are rowdy". 

"It's hard to manage a teenage boy's body. It requires pampering",Chloe said, in which Kukui were laughing at the statement because it was nothing but the truth. 

"Sota is growing up. He requires a lot of energy", Kukui chipped in a piece of his thought. 

"I see…. But he can still eat a little slower. He might hurt his stomach". 

Chloe blinked and then her face morphed into a smirking face. "Are you worried about me?" 

"Not at all. You just think it's like that when it's not". 

"Little girl doesn't know how to hide her feelings". 

"I'm turning fourteen next year!" Lillie argued. 

"Alright. I'll stop. The food might get cold if we keep on bantering", Chloe said and forked out another cut of the rib. 

"Ah, before I forget", Kukui said, looking at Burnet. "I've been summoned by the king to assist with some matters of great importance. I might come home late". 

Chloe kept her ears open. If she could find a way to sneak inside the carriage, then she might be able to enter the palace ground undetected. It was a slim chance but she hoped that there was enough room to hide. 

Lillie was studying Sota as he looked like he was thinking of something. She decided that she would closely watch the boy to stop him from doing anything absurd. 

The last thing that she wanted to happen was for Sota to get hurt. After all, he was the one who freed them from the traders. 

\----------

King Goh had now resided in the harem. It was like how the queen had described - the forbidden palace was built with mahogany woods, strong and sturdy with decorative patterns chiselled on its surface. He hadn't left the room much since he was uncleaned - most of his time was spent within the walls with Raboot. At night, it can grow colder, especially when it rained when the gust peered through the gaps and cooled up the room. 

The bed felt foreign and it took a while before he could get used to it. The few nights he spent his time alone made up some restless nights. Raboot was nestled in a basket fitting its size. It was placed at the corner near the wall to help it have a room to breath from the blood smell. 

A candlestick stood on a side table to light up the room, glowing a warm orange illumination. His shadow casted over the walls and he was covered in his blanket to warm up his body. When there was a fellow citizen with him, he didn't feel as lonely but at the moment, only the loneliness enveloped him tenfold. 

A soft knocking on the door caught his attention. He was hesitant to answer at first but it could be important. At the door, King Ash peeked through the gap and Goh had almost shut it. It required a lot of his willpower to just stop his instinct from taking over him and asked, "His Majesty, I didn't think I would be seeing you here". 

"I've known every nook and cranny of this harem palace. It's impossible to miss this side of the palace", said Ash. 

"Um, why would the king himself make a visit here?" 

"Well, for one, I want to give you this", said the king, holding out a rectangle box as a gift. 

"What's this?" asked Goh, opening the door a little wider to accept the gift. 

"It's a herbal medicine. The sage said that it is one of the best mixture in the kingdom. It'll remedy your pain", Ash said, looking upwards in embarassment. 

Goh's lips curled into a smile as he giggled softly. "His Majesty cares too much for a princess like me". 

"I just want you to feel better. I heard that it can get very painful". 

_ It wasn't wrong then, the hearsay.  _ It can get unbearable in one of the days and he would feel like his stomach was chaffed from the inside. He had to curl in a fetus position just to ease the pain but the blood flow stenched the room and the blanket on a day like that that they had to be cleaned and changed frequently. 

The king had more to say. 

"It isn't the only thing. I just want to see your face", said the king longingly. For the few days he was stuck in the court hearing to political debates, he had been yearning to spend time with Princess Gou even if it was for a short while. While he missed everyone of them, he especially missed the way Princess Gou lighted up at every single actions he did. 

"Does my face remedy your trouble, His Majesty?" asked Goh with the corner of his lips twitching upwards. 

"Your presence has been missed", Ash replied. He came closer and left a quick light kiss on her forehead. 

Goh touched his forehead, his skin still sizzling from the loving gesture. His face abruptly turned red and he looked down on his feet. 

Even if it was slight, Ash's presence brought some comfort to his uneasiness. 

"Then, if His Majesty missed my presence so much, would he allow if I were to use his study? It would cure a little of my loneliness", asked Goh. 

"Is it receding?" asked Ash. 

"It's not that much but if it disturbs you then I shan't". 

"I don't mind it at all. Come to my study tomorrow. I'll let the guard know to escort you there".

"His Majesty is too kind", Goh couldn't contain his excitement. He was for once getting out of his chamber and would be doing something instead of moping around doing nothing. His shyness had long been forgotten when he imagined the books he would be reading on. 

"Then, I will be seeing you tomorrow", said Ash. 

"Thank you, for the gift". Goh sounded more energetic than he was before. 

Something told Ash that he was about to learn a new thing about the princess. "It was only a small feat", he said. 

The king returned to his chamber with a little bounce in his steps. 

They would be spending time together again tomorrow and he was looking forward to it. 


	17. Novelty

The study, if Ash had to describe it was noble and abundant but it was superlatively neat and largely unread. He had spent his entire childhood studying in it but he wasn't a fan of reading that much and the royal tutor had to skim an entire library to compress the knowledge to something that could be drilled down in his head. 

If he were to be asked what his entire syllabus was, it would be war strategies and science of elements. That was something he took a great liking to and often he would use it in Pokemon Battles to rise above the others. The knights taking part in the battle commended his skill - although these days, he could hardly take part in it since he would have to represent his kingdom in the spectator seat. 

He only occupied his study when he was having a personal meeting with the council members but other than that, it became neglected despite the copious selections of books lining the shelves. The study hall was cleaned everyday and so it was well kept. It was more of a dignified display in private to the other noblemen rather than a place to spend his freetime in. 

It was different with Gou. She immediately made herself at home within volumes of academic thesis. Since that time Gou had been inside the library, he had noticed how her hands were quick to pick up something to read. The last time they were here, Gou didn't even have the chance to read anything - he had spent their hours inside just sitting there and comforting her to the point of the princess falling asleep. Something serious must have happened during that time but he couldn't grasp it no matter how much he tried. 

Gou wasn't lying when she had told him at the throne hall about her love of reading. It seemed that she also had a habit piling her reading materials in a circle, making towers of them while she sat in the middle of it, grabbing two or three at once to check against the contents written by the author. When she couldn't find what she was looking for, she would check the shelves to find a related piece and returned with another stack to be kept together with her existing books forte. 

She made interesting faces too, Ash noted. When she found something that amused her, she would let small laugh out and when she found something quizzical, she would curl her two fingers on her chin and would be deep in thought to find the answer. When she figured out the answer, she would make a thrilled expression and her lips would quiver to hold back her words. Her fingers would be twitching as if she was used to holding an item in her hand while reading. Ash wasn't sure what it was but he might give her an inked pen and linen parchments to write onto the next time she visited the library. 

"His Majesty….." 

Ash continued to stare at the princess across the room, studying her habits that amused him.. 

"His Majesty…." 

Ash ignored the voice. 

"His Majesty, would you like to postpone this discussion for another day?" 

That brought Ash back to the man that was standing across his desk. "No, not at all. We have to do the selection today". 

The man standing in front of him was General Kukui and he was there to discuss the matter of great importance with the king. According to their stamped agreement, they were to send 400, 000 men to support The Kingdom of Vermillion's military units. Such a large number of men would be divided into small platoons of 100,000 men, each led by a commissioned officer. The commissioned officer would report to a general. 

They were in the midst of selecting the general to lead the entire unit. 

"His Majesty does look distracted…" Kukui, giving a cue with his eyes at the subject that had been stealing the king's attention from the discussion. 

"I'm fine, I promise".

Kukui cleared his throat. "How much have the king heard from me?" 

"Up until Barry, the son of Tycoon Palmer's Baron". 

"Then, I would have to go through at least a quarter of the list since that was the third name in the list". 

"That's so far away". There were at least 400 names in the list. 

"Well, His Majesty was distracted and so we have to go back to the beginning". 

The second time Kukui went through the list of names, he made sure to check the king for every twenty names he mentioned. They would stop and discuss further when the king saw a great potential in the individual. By the end of it, only two names were nominated worthy of the position. 

"Sir Brock and Sir Sycamore are the two names we've narrowed down to. They both have notable achievements over the years of their services in the military. For example, Sir Brock had expanded our territory further South without shedding blood and Sycamore had led a team of elite forces and had supported kingdoms that were under attack to repel the enemies", said Kukui. 

"Indeed they are both strong", the king agreed. 

"Which do you think we send as a representative general?" 

"I would send Brock to lead this support unit".

"On what basis should he be chosen for", His Majesty?" 

"Loyalty and if there was anyone who understand my ways, it would be him". 

Ash had known Brock since he was a child. If there was anyone who could lead a unit as the king's representative, it would be him. 

"Then, we should inform Sir Brock of his new mission. I will leave His Majesty with the princess alone. Good luck", Kukui winked at the king to encourage him. Ash was bashful but he didn't hate it either. It just made him nervous. 

Taking his cue, the highest general kneeled in front of the king and left the study hall. Kukui had never seen the king so out of it with anyone in the previous years he had known him. It was cute the way King Ash kept staring at the girl across the room. 

He let out a hearty laugh, muttering the word, "Young love". 

He missed the two shadows that were sneaking behind him. 

\--------

"Sota, we might get into trouble!" Lillie tugged on Chloe's sleeves while the two of them were hiding behind a display armour statue. 

"We need to be quieter, Lillie!" Chloe hushed her while keeping an eye on Kukui who had just left the study. The two of them had snuck onto Kukui's carriage earlier to enter the palace grounds. Lillie had caught her trying to hide in the carriage and was dragged along. 

"But Sota, what's so important here that you have to come to the palace? We're trespassing and that's bad". 

"It's important. I need to know", Chloe answered simply. Whoever it was standing in as the ward of Vermillion, she needed to know about her. Lillie was scared but looking at Sota's determination, she just knew she had to stick around. 

She hoped Sota would find whoever he was looking for. 

\---------

Raboot caught a whiff of something familiar in the air. A familiar scent, it noted, was lingering around at some areas of the palace. It wasn't the scent of Goh but it knew it had had this scent memorized. Unsure of who it was, the Rabbit pokemon, followed by Pikachu who had been around it to play after their first meeting, followed the trail until the scent was getting stronger, indicating that the person was nearby. 

There was another scent mixed, one that it couldn't identify. What a curious thing. 

"Pikapi?" (Are you smelling something?) 

"Raab Raab". (A human's scent has always been different from each other) 

"Pipipi". (Yeah, but why are we heading in a certain direction) 

"Raab Raab". (I'm just checking out a scent I've never smelled before) 

"Pikapi!" (That's amazing. You have a good memory). 

"Raab raab". (Of course, after all I am the king's advisor!) 

Raboot froze immediately at what it had just said. Inside its mind, it was trying to find a way to either change the subject and hope that Pikachu will forget about it or lie in between its teeth.

"Pika?" (The king's advisor? Can a pokemon become that?) 

It looked like fate was on its side today for Raboot managed to think up of a cover story. 

"Raab raab". (Well, we call the royal's pet pokemon as advisors). 

"Pikapi" (Is that so? Huh… What a curious thing. The only king's advisor in Yadon is Clemont)

"Raab raab". (What a different world we are living in…) 

When Raboot realized the scent had become thinner, it hastened its pace to catch up to it. The guards only followed their movement with their eyes - pokemons playing near them could give them a brief entertainment - but they made no effort in stopping the two. 

They were coming closer to a bush in front of the king's study when Raboot caught the familiar hibiscus coloured strands and green eyes. Something was off about the person but from the scent and the valiant act of playing as a decoy, how could Lord Raboot be mistaken? 

"Raab…" (Princess Chloe…)

"Pikapi?" (The blond haired girl is a princess?)

Raboot flinched again. It spouting the truth should stop indefinitely if it wants to protect the king. It was getting difficult to keep its guard up with Pikachu's sincere friendship. 

"Raab raab". (No, she reminded me of someone that I know)

"Pikapi".(I see, so it's not the same person that you've known. Don't be down, friend. Let's go to another place to cheer you up. I know a lot of places you might like) 

"Raab". (As you wish, Master Pikachu) 

"Pipi". (I like the sound of that). 

Raboot took a last look at the princess before following Pikachu who had walked away from the place. 

_Princess, I'm glad that you made it._


	18. A clue to Mew

The moment Goh stepped into the gigantic library, his whole world changed. The first time he was here, he couldn't get his reading done at all and now that the chance was presented again, he picked the closest shelf to him. A council member had come just a few minutes later after him and the king was then distracted by his subordinate. Seizing the opportunity, Goh looked around for interesting book titles that he wanted to read on. 

He took a book about legendaries and read the content. The author described in great length about each of the legendaries he had encountered and what powers they wielded. They were all fascinating - he learnt the attribute of Zekrom, Reshiram, Kyurem, Terrakion and so on. The author also collected the geo locations these legendaries were spotted over the courses of a thousand years. 

"Such a great length he went through for all of these details", Goh acknowledged the effort of the author. Without him realizing it, towers of books had begun to form around him. It was done out of habit and he got too comfortable that he didn't even notice it. 

Goh finished his thirtieth books and decided to pick up another one. There were a lot of books there and he wondered if he would be allowed inside it again after this. He was wandering the Mezzanine to see if there was something that would catch his eyes when a book fell down from a shelf behind him. He jumped a little from the startling noise but he turned around to pick it up.

There in his hand was what he was looking for throughout the Kingdom of Vermillion. The continuation of his search to find Mew. 

**Pallet Temple ruin and the wall scripture**. Goh brought it over to his books circle and sat down crossed legged. 

"This book will describe the analysis of Pallet Temple's purpose and its location. It also records the symbols on the walls and traps found in the ruin", he read it out in a whispering voice. 

He looked at Ash and his subordinate. It seemed their discussion was still going on. If he was lucky, he might be able to finish reading it before evening came. 

The book described in a condensed form : Pallet Temple used to be a holy location worshipped by a small group of people who possessed the Aura power. Inside it resided a being that could transform itself into many forms of pokemon, including the legendaries. This pokemon was given the name Mew by Arceus and had since then lived in Pallet Temple. 

It went on to describe Mew's physical ability. The author also apologized earlier on that there were symbols that he had written out of the book due to its mysterious characters. The author wasn't able to read the symbols and felt that it carried no significance in the study of Mew and Pallet Temple. To keep the relevancy, only selective information was given inside the book. 

_That's understable but it makes me wonder about them, those symbols he left out._

Goh searched for the page that described the Pallet Temple ruin location. He found a map of the globe and a red square was drawn around the south area of the map. His thumb traced the name of the location. 

"Yadon". Eh? Goh blinked again at the characters he was looking at. 

"Yadon???" he shrieked, pulling the image closer to his face. While he was getting the shock of his life, he didn't notice how Ash had left his desk after his subordinate exited the room. The king placed a hand on top of Goh's head to mess with his long lock and sat down, also cross legged next to him. Goh couldn't help but to blush at the gentle gesture. 

"What are you reading?" asked Ash, taking interest in the book the princess was reading. 

"It's…. It's about a ruin that I had taken interest about, His Majesty". 

"A ruin? Sounds like an interesting place. Tell me more about it". 

"W-Well… I don't want to sound too much like a bookworm…" Goh avoided his glance while instinctively twirling with his sideburn strand. 

When he realized what he was doing, he could feel his inside cracking. _Pull yourself together!!!! Gooo!!!!_

"You seem to enjoy it. I would like to hear about the content".

_Read it yourself, my king_!!!! Goh tried his best not to show his displeased thoughts on his face and resorted to a courtesy laugh. 

"W-Well, if His Majesty insisted, I'll talk about it".

Goh opened the page where it talked about the Pellet Temple. He explained about the location of the temple and why Mew was a powerful pokemon. The whole time he was talking about his previous studies of Mew and the Pellet Temple, King Ash was listening intently on everything he had said. 

"And so, that's why I wish that someday, I will be able to see the ruin on my own and I will find Mew!" Goh told Ash that, his eyes gleaming with determination. 

Ash let out a small noise of admiration. The princess was driven by a set of goals to chase her dream that it showed through her face. Her face was full of hope and she had every intention to progress to it with her own will. It brought a warm smile to his face and he couldn't contain himself from putting his hand on her hair. 

"You'll find it. I know you will", said Ash and the words he uttered lifted Goh's spirit. 

"His Majesty is simply too kind", Goh complimented. Nobody had ever thought that he would find Mew someday but here was Ash, telling him that he would be able to achieve it. 

"Not at all but thank you for the compliment". 

Out of curiosity, Ash asked, "where's the ruin located at?" 

"Yadon". 

"Yadon?" King Ash arched his eyebrow. 

"It says here that the temple is located in Yadon. On the next page, the author drew a map to get to the temple from a place called The Cavern of Unheeding Boars". 

"The Cavern of Unheeding Boars….. We only have one location in the kingdom that is infested by Swinub". 

"It makes a great lead, His Majesty. What's the location called?" 

"Icefall Cave". 

"Is it far from here?" asked Goh out of curiosity. 

"Not at all. It's only half a day ride from here on a Rapidash. Though we can't get near it with a carriage since there isn't a paved roadway to cross the forest". 

A bead of sweat formed at the king's forehead when the princess looked at him with hopeful expression. 

"You really want to go huh?" said Ash with a nervous laugh. 

"Don't you worry, His Majesty. I am an expert at riding Rapidash". 

"R-Really…." 

Goh nodded and added a "please" after it. 

"I will ask Clemont to arrange three off days for the two of us later this week. It's been awhile since I took a break from the paperwork. It would be good to unwind from it".

Goh lowered his head and said, "Thank you, His Majesty. You have my deepest gratitude".

It wasn't like Ash wanted anything in return from this but before he could stop himself, he told the princess, "it'd be nice if this comes with a bounty". 

Goh's lips quivered when Ash tapped his own cheek twice. He is a man and he never thought that there would be a day where he would criticize another man for taking advantage of the situation. 

"D-Do I have to do it?"

"It's optional but if you're scared, I won't force you". 

"I'm not s-scared!" Shutting his eyes tightly, he leaned forward to give the kiss on Ash's cheek. 

It was agonizingly chaste from her lips that put a petal of rose to shame but Ash would have to do with the brevity. 

"T-There". Goh raised the book up to hide his embarrassed face. He didn't want to reciprocate Ash's gaze because it would suffocate him. 

_This is dangerous. I might really like King Ash at this rate._

\------

Lillie groaned at the agonising sitting position she was in. She had her legs against her chest and her eyes were straining from looking at the door too much. 

"Sota, how long do you plan to stay here for?" asked Lillie. 

"Sir Kukui just came out from the room. He did mention he's coming here to see the king", Chloe was determined that she would at least wait until the king left the study so that they can follow him to where the ward is. 

"We might get caught, Sota. Is it that important?" asked Lillie, tugging on Chloe's sleeves. 

"I have my own reasons. Like you who wants to see your mother, I want to see the new princess".

Lillie fumed a little at Sota's determination to stay hidden. "It's not like she is pretty and besides, she's tied to the king. Hmph!" 

"Little girl is so obvious", Chloe smirked knowingly. Lillie had a crush on her male child version but she let it be. 

Then Lillie remembered about the stories Gladion, her brother, used to tell her when they were younger. Lusamine was always busy with work that she was hardly at home and so, more often than not, it was Gladion who would come into the chamber to read stories to her. 

Once, Gladion told her about the punishments a person can be charged with for breaking the law. Trespassers were often convicted to a year of prison in the dungeon and it was unsettling to her that they might be discovered and would be sent to the dungeon because of it. 

"Sota…. I think we should go now",Lillie tried to persuade him. 

"What's wrong? You were ready to enter the palace ground just a few days ago", said Chloe. 

"Sota, I'm scared. If we got caught, we might be punished". 

"That's some good thinking, Lillie". 

The two children shrivelled like dried fruits and they thickly swallowed because they knew who was looming behind them. General Kukui's aura was somewhat scary. 

"S-Sir Kukui… How did you find us?" asked Chloe. 

"It's not that hard to find you. Lillie's handkerchief fell not too far from the carriage", Kukui showed them the piece of cloth. 

"Oh", the two sighed in union. 

"Do you want to tell me why you're on the palace ground?" asked Kukui. 

"Um… Sota said he wanted to see the new princess". 

Kukui turned his gaze towards Sota who silently nodded while looking down at his feet. Scratching his head, he heaved a sigh. 

"It's true that the princess is inside the study hall with the king but I think we should not disturb them", said Kukui. 

"C-Can we wait until they come out?" asked Chloe. 

"... Burnet is going to be worried if the two of you are gone for too long. We should head back now".

Chloe looked disappointed. Seeing this, Kukui said, "Maybe, next time, I will bring you to the palace and you might be able to see the princess". 

The promise lit Chloe's face up. "Please promise me you would do that". 

"A Great General never goes back on his words". 

Feeling reassured, Chloe decided to go back for today. When they were about to leave, the door to king's study was opened and Chloe turned around on her heels. Like a slow moving picture, she saw the Yadon King stepping out from the door. Shortly after him came out the princess. 

No, it wasn't a princess. The person walking out after the Yadon King was her King that she knew so well for years. 

"Goh", she whispered softly with a lot of questions running through her head. 


	19. Ember

The Kingdom of Lumiose was a kingdom that was the closest to the North Pole. It was often snowing and Winter had always been harsh but every year, they would have four months of summertime. 

It was called Lumiose because every night, beautiful blankets of coloured rays would decorate the sky. At night, the people of Lumiose would pray for their wishes, everything that they could ever want with two hands clasped tightly and with their feets neatly tucked as they sat on their knees. 

Once, there was a princess whose Mother was the Queen of Lumiose and whose kin was aligned for the throne. Her brethren was not the kindest; her royal cousins, uncles and aunts were all meticulously reminding her how royal rivalry could pain one's heart. Whenever she was down, she would sit by the window, praying that her prince charming would come and take her away from the castle. 

Days passed and she never grew tired of it because she believed the ray in the sky would bring her hope. Until one day, a prince from a foreign land came to visit the castle and she fell in love. 

The young prince was merely eleven and it was his genuine personality that had caused her to fall and fall. In the end, she begged the queen to send her off as an alliance trade tool when he became the king, just so that she could stay close to him. 

The young princess was called Serena and the young prince was called Ash. She thought she had a hold of his heart since out of all the consorts in the harem, she was the one he favoured the most. She thought she had seen everything about Ash until one day, another princess from a foreign land arrived at the harbour and planted a seed that she thought she had sowed. 

Even right now, while sitting in his presence, her hands were only on her laps and her eyes were only looking at someone in a distance. 

"So what do you think Serena? I've never seen a princess going into a forest on the back of a Rapidash before. Is that appropriate or should I ask more men to clear the path so we can take a carriage?" he was cradling Bella but his words rang of concern for Princess Gou. 

"I have never been on a Rapidash before but most princesses will not go near any caves or bewildering forest. I am not one to judge what His Majesty should do for his trip with Princess Gou". 

"Huh… It's just, she looks delicate". 

"Maybe His Majesty could ask the princess to show him if she can ride a Rapidash?" 

"But what if Princess Gou thinks that I'm looking down on her?" 

_ Does it matter?  _ An ugly voice inside her head screamed and yet she had to lock the voice away. 

"If His Majesty kindly asked her to test her ride pokemon, she will gladly ride on one should she be able to".

"You're right. I should do that. I will ask the stable servant to select a number of Rapidash and make it seem like we are choosing a pokemon for her". 

_ Tell him to just discard the plan _ . Serena ignored it again. She felt trapped between the conversation with the king and the conversation with her heart. She told herself to bear it for a while, that Ash having wives was something he had to do because the council members were forcing him to. 

_ But he can always choose one to love from all of you.  _ The truth was always the hardest to swallow. A love like that wasn't meant for everyone. A love like that could lit an ember in every woman's heart and it can also tear everyone apart. 

Clemont came into the chamber after announcing his presence. "My king, we need to leave for the opening ceremony for the new fleet company". 

"I guess I have to leave now", Ash returned the baby back in her arms. "Bye Bella".

He was outside of the door when he shouted a goodbye for her. She held the baby close to her chest. 

"Ash, please don't go". 

\-----

Lord Raboot was on high alert ever since the kiss incident happened. If Pikachu wasn't in its company, Raboot would be following or walking in King Goh's shadow while avoiding his magic detection ability. Even if it didn't have any magical attribute, citizens of Vermillion had the magical residue on them - there were a few magics casted on every person in the land when they were born for purposes such as understanding pokemon, increasing immune system and personal identification. 

A lot of time, there were only false alarms. Raboot didn't know the king was capable of torrent of intonations that sometimes it would enter the room to save the bell but it ended up to be the King acting overly giddy over pokemons or objects or food. 

There were a few times it happened. One of the notable tales would be when Raboot was following the King until they reached a Rapidash stable. It just peered from gaps between the leaves and twigs. A few minutes later, King Ash walked into the same stable and once he was inside, Raboot hopped over near the wood plank wall, trying to hear their conversation. 

It heard a woman's moaning. That triggered Lord Raboot to jump inside the stable and Hi jump kick King Ash who was standing nearby. The embarrassment kicked in when it realized that Goh was just hugging the neck of a Rapidash while his hands were feeling up the silky fur of a Royal ride Pokemon. Luckily , King Ash let it go and it walked out from it scot free. 

There were a few more instances like this and each one of them was forgiven by the king. 

So today, it sat next to Pikachu while observing Ash and Goh from afar. They were on a balcony, sitting between the pillars to get a better view of the palace ground. It was tea time and King Ash had invited Goh to see some baby pokemons they were raising in their pokemon nursery. 

"Pikapi". (Lately Ash has been complaining about his back. I wonder if he's getting older?)

While Raboot knew the reason behind it, it prefered to be a fool about it. 

"Raab raab". (He's eighteen. Still a young man).

"Pikapika".(Who knows? Maybe eighteen is the age of an old man for humans). 

"Raab raab". (If that's the case, then I pray for the longevity of his bone. Amen). 

"Pika". (May Arceus saves the king). 

"Pikachu?" (How's the preparation going for Gou? She looks plenty excited about the trip).

Raboot tilted its head sideways. "Raab?" (Huh?) 

"Pika??" (You don't know about it? We're leaving tomorrow). 

_ Tomorrow? _ Raboot boasted on its ability to pick up and connect information from its surroundings. The fire rabbit couldn't believe that this information escaped him. King Goh didn't bring up anything about a trip. 

_ Could it be?  _ Raboot feared that King Goh might have secluded it from the information because he wanted to be alone with the Yadon King. However, maybe it should've guessed what was going on. In the first place, Goh had never tried to share anything with Raboot even before their arrival in Yadon Kingdom. 

It had always been Raboot picking up on hints from the king's behaviour and reciprocated its thoughts on it. He remembered all the occasions where it had to rely on itself. One time when King Goh wanted a fantasy novel authored by the most famous novelist in Vermillion and he was always mentioning it inside his conversations until it became clear as day what he wanted. Raboot ended up purchasing the novel and giving it to him as the king's birthday present. 

"Raab raab". (Is that why Gou had gone to the stable? To choose a ride pokemon?) 

"Pika pika". (Perhaps. She rode Julius very well eventhough that rapidash is a tough nut to crack. Ash was over the moon that he couldn't forget the elegant control she had while riding the Rapidash. He keeps going on with the 'did you see it'. I feel like shutting him down with thunder). 

Raboot often wondered if Pikachu had always violently punished its king. From where it was sitting, the way Pikachu was telling him was like a yankee on the verge of turning someone into a punching bag. 

Then again, it wasn't like Raboot was free from guilt either and so it had no right to call the kettle black. 

"Raab raab?" (Julius? Is that the name of the Rapidash?) 

"Pi". (Yes. Neat name, isn't it?). 

The scenery from the balcony was relaxing. Down below, they watched how Goh was picking up two happiny and carrying them around in delight. 

"Pikapi". (She really loves pokemon) 

It was a compliment and it made Raboot happy to hear something good about his king. Goh had always been alone in the castle, shutting himself away in a study hall. He would refuse to socialize with anyone unless it was urgent. 

His only friends had always been Raboot and Chloe. 

Watching him now playing with others, it was like the king finally caught up with the things he missed in his childhood. He finally learnt how to live. 

If only this could be permanent. Raboot knew once this was over, everybody would get hurt. 

It stood up when Ash wrapped his hands around Goh's waist. Picking up a rubble next to it, it tossed it twice in the air and on the second toss, lighted it on fire. 

"Raaaabbbbbbb!!!!!!" (EMBER!!!!!!) 

Pikachu watched the burning pebble connected with Ash's back. The king fell forward, face first. 

"Pikapi". (So it was you! Do you know how much he complains about his back?) 

"Raab raab".(I pray for his health). 

Pikachu huffed but it clasped its hand together. In prayer to Arceus it believed that King Ash's back would be spared. 

"Pika". (Amen) 


	20. The lost letter

The fleet carrying the driver was a state of the art. Three masts stood in line, each were tied with huge cloth spread as far as it could to catch the wind. The fleet body danced over white crested waves and the gentle billowed to cool the warming deck in the afternoon sun. 

The shoreline was long and faint but in view nonetheless. It wouldn't be long before the ship would reach Azalea harbour. It had been a few days since he left Yadon Kingdom and the load he was carrying this time would wrath the predecessor king. 

"Ahhh, I'm scared thinking about what's going to happen!!!" he'd held both sides of his cheeks. Would he be executed after reaching his homeland? He didn't want to think about it. 

On the fleet, he was accompanied by three men from Yadon Kingdom's navy. All of them were reliable soldiers but he tried to be careful not to say anything regarding the Yadon Kingdom and his King. He feared that it might put his King in danger if he made a mistake. 

He was given the last mission by his king and he would bring the deed back to the kingdom and inform the high commissioners about the arrival of Yadon Kingdom's troops. 

Before he left on the voyage home, King Goh had called him to his chamber. " _Our situation is a hopeless one. There is no way around it"_.

King Goh had accepted the fate at that time but he wasn't letting it be his end. " _Lord Raboot has explained to us that this physical transformation will only last for a year. We've been out here for a month and 2 weeks. Once I've returned to our original form, I should be able to go back to Vermillion_ ".

There was hope in his voice. Back then, the driver had asked about the soul contract. King Goh replied, " _We'll find a way to break it. In this timeframe we're given, there should be some clues on how to remove it_ ". 

The driver had promised the king that he would be waiting for his return to serve him again. They departed, the deeds safely tied on his back underneath his heavy clothings. He had made a fake scroll and put them in a small chest to be carried by a servant. 

This was ordered by Lord Raboot to ensure that the deed would be safe or retrievable if there was emergency. The fake deed was written on a piece of paper made from cotton cloth while the original deed was embroidered on a silk cloth to preserve the content. 

Only Yadon Kingdom practiced this method while other kingdoms would use cloth that were cheaper to be written on. Such a care was taken very seriously because an agreement with Yadon Kingdom would be a long term oath. 

This matter of great importance had been entrusted to him and it would determine his kingdom's fate. 

The fleet disembarked at the harbour and the crowd was lively today. What he didn't expect was the number of people crowding in front of it. 

"Um…" he faltered in his steps. His instinct was grating on him, telling him not to leave the fleet. The Yadon soldiers were, however, waiting for him to leave. 

"His Majesty, is everything alright?" one of the soldiers asked. 

"We can leave", disregarding his instinct, the driver unboarded the fleet. He was carefully looking around but was only greeted by Azalea common folks cheers. 

"I guess it was just my imagina-" 

An explosion so large sent debris and splinters flying in the air. It came from the ship next to their fleet. Down below, a few men in black cloaks were severing the people in the crowd. The soldiers around him valiantly engaged in battles to defend against the attackers while he backed away from them. Once he reached the deck however, he was suddenly knocked down from behind. Looking up, he saw a man… no, it wasn't just any man. It was a king that stood before him and from the emblem on the cloak pin, he knew where the king came from. 

It was King Morty from Ecruteak Kingdom and his gaze was filled with hard cold disappointment. He had boarded the ship with his Pidgeot. 

"I was told that King Goh would be returning from Yadon Kingdom on this fleet and yet here I am looking down on a commoner".

His tone was demeaning and yet, the driver found it himself to glare back at the man. 

"Are you perhaps a decoy?" King Morty asked. 

"What do you want from him?" asked the driver. He wasn't going to give in to any threat. His loyalty was only towards the King of Vermillion. 

"Your king has an insurmountable amount of magic in him. What else if it isn't for his power? Well… Maybe not just that. A little taste wouldn't hurt".

This person that was standing above him, he was filthier than any rats. To think that he dared to insinuate it, his glaring could only intensify. 

"Commoner, tell me where your king is". 

"You can punch me, kick me or sever me but I would rather die than tell you anything!" 

"I see. Then I will turn your wish into your reality!" 

The king pulled his sword, swinging it downwards to cut the driver's arms. The driver shut his eyes tightly, ready to take the blow. 

It was at that moment he heard a distant sound. The meeting of the deck floor and a crash landing of four feet pokemons created a sound so loud. Behind it, a man in glorious armour wasn't even holding on - it was only his balance that kept him upright. His command to his pokemon came in such a calm manner, very unlike his usual loud self. 

"Mightyena, use crunch". 

\---------

When he came to, the driver realized that he was already in a different place. He was grateful that he came out of it unhurt. Then he remembered about the soldiers that were accompanying him. 

"Orahhh, you're finally awake!" the man, Great General Hodge greeted him. 

"Where am I?" asked the driver. 

"The castle of course. Ren sets up a portal for us as a return route. We did secretly walk into Azalea but it was for an unofficial business. Then we found out the king is supposed to return in two days so I stick around longer", explained Hodge. 

"Thank goodness you were there". 

"But I don't see the king anywhere and Ren told me that he is not able to sense him on the ship". This time, Hodge sounded far from friendly. 

"The king…. He won't be coming back". 

Hodge punched the side table next to him. His aura was menacing. "What do you mean by that?" 

"He is still alive!!!!!" the driver shrieked when an eerie glare was thrown in his direction. 

"Oh why don't you tell me earlier? So where is he?" 

"He is in Yadon Kingdom harem after being turned into a girl and we will have to wait until he returns to normal so he can escape the harem undetected". 

"... Are you making up stories…. Oh hold on. I think I've heard something familiar before". If Hodge were to recall correctly, a few months ago, Ren had told him about a gender swapping potion. It could be possible that Ren had supplied them with the same potion. 

The driver had another thing to ask Hodge. 

"Ummm…. Is Princess Chloe back in the castle?" 

Hodge was genuinely taken aback by his question. 

"Princess Chloe? Is she supposed to return here?" 

"Wait! Don't tell me you didn't receive the letter that we sent to you?" 

"What letter?" 

It couldn't be, thought the driver. The letter that was supposed to arrive in Vermillion was lost. The situation had gotten a lot worse now that he had returned to Vermillion. If they didn't find Princess Chloe now, they would never recover her. The driver told Hodge about everything that had happened. He also took out the deed he had kept with him and showed it to Hodge. Hodge unrolled the agreement deed and read the content. 

"I will report this immediately to Visquez. Seems like a lot of things had happened during your travel. Take a good rest. You've done well". Hodge left the resting chamber and hastened his pace to the Prime Minister's office. 

He skipped the formalities. Waiting for the guards to open the door for him would slow him down and once he was inside the office , he found Visquez sitting in his chair reviewing the paperworks he had. 

"Visquez, I have something to report to you". 

"Please, go ahead and let me know", said Visquez, welcoming the report that Hodge was about to say. 

"His Majesty, he has left us with a few messages. He even sent us a letter to find Princess Chloe. It seemed that she had been missing for months". 

Visquez tilted his head upwards, looking straight at Hodge. It seemed Hodge was very troubled if he couldn't even keep a calm demeanor at a time like this. 

"It seems that the situation has changed", the prime minister said and rested his chin on his palm.He would need to gather all the high commissioners to discuss further on the matter.


	21. Pallet Temple

In every kingdom, they would have either a royal shaman or a royal priestess. They will read the stars and planets alignment and predict the most auspicious moment to achieve the best outcome regardless of objectives. A royal representative would be present during the reading and they have the option to carry out the advice. Most of the time, the accuracy of a shaman's reading is astonishingly close and thus, always are taken seriously by the royalty. 

Yadon Kingdom monarchy believed in shaman reading that they had designated a high rank just for them. The shaman was asked to read for the best date to send their army, the best day to harvest the crops and even the best date to consummate to get a crown prince.

In the Queen's palace, at the queen's throne, a royal shaman was in the audience of the queen mother. She was looking with a piercing gaze that could draw blood. In front of her sat a royal shaman who was quivering in fear. The queen mother was very displeased with him. 

"You are the head of royal shaman and yet, your reading is always off. You tarnish your master's reputation", the queen finally spoke after a long pause. 

"Forgive me, queen mother! I will not make mistakes this time in honor of my master", the shaman shamefully replied and lowered his gaze. 

"Fine, I will give a last chance to save your face. If this is still a princess, you better prepare to give up your status". 

"Yes, Her Majesty. I will not fail you". The shaman asked his assistant to prepare a table and on the table, he laid out a piece of cloth. He gave his assistant a scroll to mark the positioning of the stars, planets and moon. His assistant went outside for a little while and returned with the scroll with the drawing of the stars alignments. 

The shaman then took the king's and his royal consort's birthdate and made his prediction. He was very sure that his reading would make the queen overjoyed. 

"Her Majesty, I am sure you will be happy to hear of good news!" with excitement, the shaman addressed her of the glad tiding. 

"Oh?" the queen raised her eyebrow - she had never seen the shaman overflowing with such confidence. 

"It appears in three days, the Moltres Zodiac in the east will be at its brightest and will be facing west. Along with it, Suicune Zodiac in the west will be facing East. I am sure that if they were to consummate that night, a very strong crown prince would be born".

"What makes you say that? You failed to predict the princesses' before and you're telling me that your reading should be trusted?" asked the queen mother. She had every right to doubt the shaman since the last reading he performed for Princess Serena had errored. 

The shaman reassured the queen. The star was in their favor this time. 

"Her Majesty, this time the strongest elements that shines in the sky are fire and water. For two core elements to shine at the peak, this is nothing short but a blessing. For the royal bloodlines, when the brightest zodiac is either, fire, water or electric, a boy would be born. This is the case with the king himself. My master predicted a crown prince because the brightest zodiac at that time was Zapdos. In fact, in the royal ancestry record, all of the crown princes were born when one of the three elements were at its brightest". 

The queen mother was very thoughtful for a while. She yearned to have a grandson soon so that the next queen can take over her position. Also, leaving the crown prince position unoccupied for too long can create vexation in the palace. 

"If you say so, I will trust you this time but there won't be a second chance if your reading is wrong again", the queen firmly said before dismissing the royal shaman. Then she summoned her most loyal eunuch, who personally looked after the king to come to see her. 

The eunuch lowered his head to greet the queen mother upon entering. "Dear queen mother, of what purpose did you summon me for?"

"I have trusted you since you first served the king and now, I will trust you again to carry out my mission. Having a crown prince to fill in the position as soon as possible is a must. Even if I have to use an underhanded method like this". 

"Yes, queen mother". 

"Find the strongest tonic in the kingdom and in three days, serve it to the king and his consort during their trip to the ruin. Do not fail me". 

"Yes, queen mother". 

The eunuch then left the queen's palace to find a sage. The queen smiled and thought that this time, she would definitely get a grandson she desired. 

\--------

Goh grabbed a hold onto the Rapidash reign, maneuvering it between the trees in the forest with grace. It had been awhile since he had adventured into the wilderness and the forest in yadon have unique qualities of its own. 

The forest floor was irregular and the soil felt moist. The forest was a leafy paradies; the trees grew so tall, roofing the forest floor with its shadow. It was all too fascinating. 

He found a few plants that he could use to enhance his magic energy and kept some of them in his pouch. Without his staff, he might need to increase his magic on his own to break the soul contract. It would be best that he tried to enhance his magical reservoir before the time came. 

Raboot was riding behind him, holding tightly on his waist. Pikachu was perching on the yadon king's shoulder, its balance never faltered and its ears were twitching when it heard the singing of the songbirds. 

"Are you enjoying the ride?" asked Ash, riding closer to the princess. He found it intriguing how the princess was very eager at collecting herbs that she found on the forest floor. 

"The forest smells so sweet. I've missed this feeling, His Majesty", said Goh. Back in Vermillion, he often wandered into the forest behind the palace to find herbs that would help him create strong magic or improve his magic capacity. 

It wasn't just the two of them in the party. They were accompanied by High General Kukui and a dozen of his most trusted knights. The soldiers were wearing hunting garments and brought along with them crossbows and long swords. The queen mother had also lent them her most favourite eunuch to prepare food during the trip. 

They hadn't had an encounter with wild beasts, just a lot of pokemons living in it. The Icefall Cave was located deep in the forest and as they got closer, the temperature began to drop and the forest ground started to be covered with ice. The group covered themselves with cloaks to keep warm. 

They encountered a number of swinubs and tried their best not to agitate the herds. They arrived at the cave entrance soon after - it was completely covered with ice on its rocky walls. The heat from the rapidash's hooves melted the floor, making it easier for it to trot. The refracted light brightened their paths, never dimming. 

Goh could feel the wind blowing in the opposite direction.

"This wind, it can mean that there is an exit at the end of this cave, His Majesty", said General Kukui. 

"Then we continue to move forward", said the king. 

As they were getting closer, Goh could feel magical energy emerging from the cave walls. The cave struck him as odd and he kept his senses open. 

_ We're getting closer.  _ He thought, feeling the magic energy getting stronger. There must be a source of it and he was keen to know. 

They finally reached the end of the cave. They could hear the sound of the waterfall from outside of it. The exit could only fit a Rapidash at a time and so they had to take turn. 

"I'll check the exit", High General Kukui said and went ahead to see if it would be safe for them to venture out of the cave. A few minutes later, he came back in daze. 

"The sight is amazing. We still need to be careful when approaching the ruin". 

Hearing this, Goh rode his Rapidash to see what was outside the exit. When he laid his eyes on the view, he saw the ruin of the Pallet Temple. It was right in the middle of the area and falling over the steep rocky ledge was waterfalls. He could see the sky above them, there was a big gap that allowed the sun to light up the area inside the half enclosed space. He could also feel something else in the area. Warm magical energy flowed all around him. He had never felt so rejuvenated before. 

"This view is breathtaking", said Goh, taking in the sight before closing his eyes to feel the magic. 

"This small structure, could it be the Pallet Temple?" asked one of the soldiers. 

"It's quite a small temple", King Ash commented. Goh led his Rapidash closer to take a good look. Beside the entrance, enclosed by a stone door, two statues of a Celebi and Mew stood on both sides as if they were guarding over the temple entrance. 

_ So it's not just Mew who resides in this temple…  _ Goh thought . 

A large jolt, followed by successive shaking of the ground hit them unexpectedly and they watched the stone door open up by itself. Inside it, there was a staircase leading further down a mysterious path. 

"I should go down to check if it's safe to descend", said General Kukui. 

"Wait", Goh stopped him. "Let me go inside", he said. 

"But princess, it would be dangerous for you to go alone", Kukui tried to reason. 

"Trust me", Goh looked at him straight in his eyes. The magical energy didn't feel like it would welcome an outsider easily. 

"Then, let me accompany you", King Ash jumped off from his rapidash. He simply wouldn't let the princess enter the place alone. 

"But my liege, it can hurt you", Goh argued. 

"I'll be able to fend any attack. Don't worry about me". 

Goh looked into the depth of the abyss. He needed to go inside, he knew what he was there for. There might not be another chance then now. 

"Alright but please, let me take the lead". 

"It won't be proper to let a lady like you to -" 

"Please", Goh firmly said. 

The king, taken aback by the princess' determination, albeit reluctantly, allowed himself to meet her request. 

"But if anything were to happen, we will leave the temple as soon as possible".


	22. Aura and Magic

There were a few places in the world outside of Vermillion that were home to high concentration of magic. The ones that Goh had learned from his collection of grimoires was Alva Forest, the lost island of dragonites and cave of the undying volcano located in Alola Region. Places like these were like another world entirely and to step inside it might lead them straight to the magical beasts or guardian pokemons that were guarding it. 

Goh had offered himself to enter the temple ruin on his own but Ash had turned him down as soon as he suggested it. He went for a compromise instead so that it won't ruin the chance of getting into the temple. 

The flow of magical energy radiated from the temple even allowed him to absorb some into himself.  _ This place is so rich of it that it's almost enchanting but I swear a moment ago it felt vicious _ . Goh let the magic guide him to descend the staircase while Ash was following closely, carrying a fire torch with him to light up the darkness. 

The staircase that seemed endless finally led them into a large hall. Some pillars were already broken while the ceilings were supported by the roots from the trees that grew outside of the forest and had found its way into the chamber. There were a few fallen pieces, like a result that came from after a harsh battle. 

There were scriptures on the wall as described inside the records he was reading. Some of the words he couldn't understand - ancient writings had been lost to them but some of the words he had seen used in magical grimoires were also used. He tried to piece the characters together. 

There was once a witch that was so powerful but very, very wicked. She had magical ability and aura ability and her abundant magic made for an endless reservoir of power. The humans, pokemons and other magical beasts feared the witch as she reaped the land from its flourishing harvest and sent the world into years of winter. The world was covered in snow and came with it was death after death of innocent lives. 

One day, the magical beasts, mythical and legendary pokemons came together and created a powerful sword that could absorb one of the witch's abilities. It was gifted to a valiant knight who went to search for the witch. The witch, residing in the Pallet Temple took on her challenger. For many days they duelled until one day, the aura absorption was completed. The witch lost her aura ability and the knight was victorious. 

He couldn't read the rest of it since the other parts had crumbled into pebbles. Goh looked around for any other clues he might get for his search for Mew. 

  
  


While Goh was doing that, King Ash was standing in the middle of the hall admiring the ancient structure. There was another room further back, he noted. Out of curiosity, the king decided to enter it. There was only a statue that looked like a knight holding what looked like a sword. He came close to it and discovered that the sword in the statue's hand was a genuine sword. Ash didn't know how long it had been there but the way it glowed made it look like it was a new one. The sharp edges showed him that there had been owners using it before him. 

"What an impressive sword", he felt the smooth handle. Curling his fingers around it, the king pulled the sword from the statue with ease. He admired the craft on the sword - it was beautifully made and extremely light. Brandishing the sword, Ash tried a few swings to get used to the feeling. 

Ash had the best sword made for him in the entire Yadon Kingdom and it came second to the one he was holding in his hand at the moment. 

"This sword is a keeper", he said. He couldn't find a sheath for it and so he decided to wrap his cloak around it and slotted it together with the other one he was carrying. After taking another look and finding nothing else in the small room, he went back to the hall. 

The princess was sitting on her back as if she had fallen on it. Concerned, the king quickly returned to her side. Her body was shaking as if she had seen a beast. 

"Your highness, what's wrong?" asked the king, making circles on her back to calm her. 

"No, I… I think it was just my head confusing me…" said the princess, her hands were still trembling. 

"Let's go back outside", said the king gently. "Can you stand?" 

"I don't think I can right now. I just… I don't know". 

Ash smiled at the princess and offered to carry her on his back. He cradled her back and held on tightly so as not to let her fall. He was surprised when she buried her face on his back. The shivering of her fragile body started to diminish, as if she felt secure to be with him. 

For Goh, he felt safer when Ash was this close to him. Whatever he had seen just now had turned him into a quivering mess. It was scary, the sight he was shown to. Goh didn't get scared easily - it took a lot to make him fear anything but whatever he had witnessed just now, it was blood curling. 

He hugged Ash closer, hoping that he could forget it. 

\--------

A few moments ago…. 

Goh saw from the corner of his eyes that the king had entered another room in the back. Since he had the freedom to cast a spell to change the ancient characters to something he could understand, he used it on the wall and the characters morphed into words that he often read in grimoires. 

There were a few descriptions about Mew and all of it wrote that often Mew would appear at the temple when the moon cannot be seen in the sky. When it appeared, it would play in the ruins and many pokemons would assemble inside the hall to share the joy with it. 

"And so I have to wait for a certain time of the month…"

Among the ruin scriptures, he found another phrase that seemed like it didn't belong there. 

"Hmm… This sentence seems to be coloured a little differently than the others", he said, noting the green pigment used on the sentence. 

"Light of fate from its binding thread, with a needle it pierced the day, a knowledge of time shall I gain, show your truth to share the memory of this temple". 

He read the words aloud and the green words started to glow. In front of him, a shape began to form, tearing a ripple of time and out manifested its body. Goh recognized the shape. It was a celebi. 

"Human, you must not falter even if what you will see will scare you", said the celebi in his head, addressing him without his name. 

"You have summoned me to carry you back in time and so I will show you the truth of this temple". 

Goh wasn't prepared and before he could say anything to the pokemon to stop it, they entered a river of time. He wasn't there for the revelation of the temple - all he was seeking out for was a clue that would lead him to Mew. The celebi ripped the time flow and brought him together with it until he finally found himself back on the ground. He could feel rubble and sand cascading down from above. The sound of a sword clashing made him turn around and Goh's breath hitched when he saw a woman, so overflowing with magic was facing off a knight. 

"Do you really think your power is enough to kill me?" she said arrogantly, her magic so powerful that it lifted her above the ground. The knight thrusted his sword, each time cutting down the air. To untrained eyes, it might look as if the cuts were aimless but each time the knight swung his sword downwards , the witch's magic grew weaker. 

"I am not giving up!" the knight shouted and continued to slash the air surrounding her. 

"I am the strongest in the world! With my aura power and my magic, a man like you is just waiting for the time to die!" The witch laughed hysterically and casted a spell that brought out an enormous sword above her. 

"This sword will take you down!" 

"Then I shall execute you right here right now. Imbeciles like you deserve not to live". 

Goh couldn't even lift a finger. The suffocating magical energy, way beyond what he was capable of, drowned him in fear. When the witch sword in the air arched downwards to deliver its judgement, the knight clashed it with his own, barely managing to stop the force. 

Suddenly the witch sword disappeared and what's left was the knight and his own sword. 

"I have taken your aura power", said the knight. "And now, it's my turn to take you down". 

In that instance, Goh found himself returned to his present. His feet were shaking violently - what he had seen felt so real. He failed to hold his ground, his feet felt so weak. 

It was like he was forced to sink into the earth and on his back, he sat. 

The celebi flew closer. "You must not combine aura and magic together but if it's fated, then know that you are the only one who can raise it for a greater good". 

"What happened to the knight?" Goh asked. 

"The knight brought peace to the whole world while the witch magic was never lost. It has been passed down throughout the generations but over the years, it became gentler and warmer and now it's flowing in you". 

"If I am the descendant of magic then there should be a descendent of aura power. Do you know who it is?" 

Celebi shook its head. "They've stopped worshipping a long time ago and the time has changed. This is something for you to find out". 

Celebi disappeared right after it told him that. The words it said kept repeating in his head. 

_ Why am I shown this?  _


	23. A queen's resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : Hereby I do not promote any usage of substance. The substance does not resemble any real life depiction. However, such practice has been known to be used inside royal harem in the past. Reader discretion is required.

Tents had been set up on the rocky floor. The king's shed, its sheet outspread and tied to a wooden shaft buried into the soil patches between two rocks. Two feather filled mattresses were placed next to each other on top of a carpet and small bags of clothes were kept near the shed wall. Goh had changed out of his day dress and was putting a blanket in Raboot's basket. 

Meanwhile, Raboot and Pikachu were outside sitting by the bonfire. The crackling sound of the fire and the sound of talking men resounded outside. They were having some lighthearted conversation about battle techniques that Goh wished to join in but he could only listen for now. 

If this was his kingdom, they would all be sitting around the fire despite being a male or female and would be sharing their tales. Sometimes he did feel suffocated from the rules of yadon palace and harem - there were a lot of things he could do and couldn't do. As the king's consort, he wasn't allowed to interact with anyone else unless permissible by the king. 

"I wish there's a little bit more freedom than this", he moaned inaudibly. 

He was about to lie down and thought back about what he had learnt so far when the eunuch came into the tent carrying a tray of food. 

"Your highness, I've brought dinner", he said, putting down the tray on a small table. Goh sat up and took a look at the dish. 

"Dinner that I have prepared to satisfy your hunger will be meat curry with carrots, a bowl of rice and some berries to accompany the main dish. In this small cup here is the light sunflower tonic prepared by the queen. It will help improve your blood circulation", the eunuch highlighted the dietary plan to Goh. 

"Thank you. I'll be sure to finish the queen's gift", said Goh. He took the tonic cup and sipped it until it was empty. 

"Then, I shall return to take the empty tray at a later time", said the eunuch, excusing himself out from the tent. The rest of the night, Goh continued to listen to the jokes that were made between the soldiers. Some stories were funny that he laughed along with them. He didn't remember the time when he finally slept. 

Ash came inside the shed after the princess had fallen asleep. He made himself comfortable on his side of the bed and it took him just a few minutes to fall asleep. 

The first night went smoothly and as the morning approached, the singing of the crickets began to die down. When the first light hit the waterfall, Goh was already awake and he was standing in front of the door of the temple that had remained shut after they got out of the temple. 

_ Then at that time, how did the author of that book enter it?  _

The temple would only open for the people whom it wanted to come in. Goh scorned when he thought that it made him feel like a chosen one. 

While he was pondering over it, he could feel someone sneaking behind him clear as day. The majesty, he soon learnt, was more playful than he first thought.

"His Majesty, if you think you can scare me, you should think again". 

He heard whispering before he was suddenly swept off his feet and a second after that, they were dashing towards the waterfall pool. Goh was shrieking when the yadon king jumped into the water with him. He could feel the coldness sharply pricked at his senses and when he reappeared to the surface, he glared at the grinning king. 

"What's the big idea?" Goh asked shakily. His teeth were clashing with each other. His cloth was sticking to his skin. Everything about it just spelled discomfort. 

"Well, you look like you needed a soak". 

"Obviously I don't, His Majesty". 

"But it still feels rejuvenating being in this water". 

"I just feel cold to the bone".

"Well, if you feel cold, I can warm you up", said King Ash, hugging from behind. 

Goh felt himself being pulled closer. His face previously drained from colours due to the icy cold water heated up from the gesture. There was nothing that Ash is doing that won't affect him. Why was the king showing this affectionate with him? Was he always treating his consorts like this? 

Then he remembered the stories in the tea room. Ash, at that point of time, sounded a lot more different - immature, kind, gentle, sloppy, clumsy, goal driven but never romantic. 

The realization made his chest drummed faster. 

"Hi-His Majesty". 

"Hm?" 

"M-My chest is feeling full". 

Ash beamed like the sun. He rested his chin on Goh's shoulder and said, "Uhuh, me too". 

Ash liked it - the position they were in. He could feel her presence, warmth that radiated from her and also the beating of her heart. He felt strangely pumped up as if she was supplying him with a mysterious vigour. It was at that moment when Ash realized that he would break apart if anything were to split them apart. 

"Stay with me", said the king. He would ask this over and over again indefinitely. 

"U-Um!" Goh knew he couldn't say it. He also knew once this was over, he would be the most hurt. 

The waterfall, at its widest point surged and plunged down the cascades, creating foam at the bottom. The noise of the cataract was uproarious but it couldn't get any louder or clearer than the sound of two beating hearts. 

They stayed nestled to each other until the rest of the party members were up from their slumber. 

"Breakfast is now ready", they heard the eunuch calling from the shed. 

"Let's get something to eat. I'm kind of hungry". He lifted her up onto the steep rocky side before climbing out from the plunge pool. 

"I could do with some food too", said Goh. He squeezed the water out from the dress, making it a lot lighter. 

The two raced each other to the shed, trying to slow each other down.

Once Goh arrived at the shed, he said, "I'll go get changed. I'll have my breakfast in the shed". 

\---------

_ "You must first serve them the sunflower tonic the night before. Mix this with green tea".  _ The eunuch recalled the instruction given by the sage. The old man may look sloppy with his barren face and shabby cloth but he was the most reliable in the kingdom when it comes to herbal medicine. 

_ "Then a few hours before the time, give them the Taillow Nest tonic mixed with alcohol. When the light liquid and the dark liquid react, it can make anyone lose their minds. Don't you worry about the smell. The tonic dissolvant will cover the scent".  _

The way the sage was cackling after explaining it to him made him cringed just thinking about it. Just how strong was the tonic he prepared for the king and the consort? He was under the queen's order and despite the slight reluctance in preparing the next one, he proceeded as planned. 

The rest of the party members spent the whole day adventuring to the other parts of the caves, hunting for food and playing with water. The king had decided to join the hunt to catch wild games. The consort was inside the shed, playing with Raboot and Pikachu. She had changed out of her soaked dress and was petting the pokemons endearingly. 

When the men returned to the campsite, the bounties were handed over to the eunuch. The bounty was immediately turned to a fulfilling, delicious meal. The smell from the stock made their stomach rumble. 

The eunuch set aside the portion for the king and his consort. He prepared the next mixture of the Taillow tonic for them like he did yesterday and placed it on the tray. He let the others take their own portion. 

"My liege, the meal today is seasoned roasted meat, with rice balls and pickled sweet radish. This tonic is another one prepared by the queen. It will nourish you". 

"Mum put too much effort into this tonic business. She already prepared one yesterday". 

"She only wished for the best of your health. Please accept her grace". 

Ash took it and swallowed it in one gulp. The eunuch then carried the tray into the king's shed and explained the meal plan the same way to the consort. He waited until she had fulfilled her part before leaving the shed. 

The eunuch then prepared the food portion for Raboot and Pikachu, mixing a powdery substance with the berries and gave them the spiked food. The effect on pokemons was instantaneous. Without realising it, Raboot and Pikachu grew drowsy and fell asleep. He wrapped them in a blanket and laid them on his own mattress. 

He had separated the king and the consort's portion before mixing the same powdery substance into the rest of the food for the knights. He waited patiently until the others had fallen into a deep slumber.

"They won't wake up", the eunuch, his lips lifted upwards at having accomplished his mission before making himself absent from the campsite to the cave entrance. It was far enough and for tonight, he would be assuming the position of a royal guard.

"My queen, I have done my part. I hope the sage was right about the tonic". 


	24. NSFW - Beyond Restrain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader discretion is required 🤭

His skin was tingling against the chemise fabric, his nervous system heightened and his abdomen was increasing in temperature. Goh, having half awakened by a strange desire, huffed and puffed while attempting to regulate his breathing. 

"Hah…." he let out a small noise when the fabric draped from his thighs. He felt his whole body becoming warmer and he could only think about relieving himself. 

His fingers, he moved them down slowly to touch a place he was so unfamiliar with. The clitoris was throbbing painfully and he used his index finger to gently touch himself. Down there, it was getting wetter and he pressed against it firmer until he felt his body shook. 

"Not enough", he muttered agonizingly. _What's this? I've never felt anything like this before._

A shuffling noise from the other side alerted him. Ash was sitting up, his face was stoic. He was looking straight up at first. It caught Goh off guard when he suddenly moved from his mattress, both of his arms trapping Goh in between. 

"His Majesty…" he could only whisper as the brown eyes looked at him passionately, dark hair falling over his face. There was a shadow that passed over Ash's eyes - one who wasn't sure that if all of this is just an illusion. 

Ash lowered down his face, leaning in to capture those lips but Goh was leaning in too, touching with his own lips. It didn't matter who leaned in first - by the time they knew it, they were already kissing. Ash moved away the hair as he touched behind his neck, sending chills to vibrate on his skin. Wherever he touched, it left him yearning for more. 

There were no words to utter, just them sharing the same air. The rough hand slid his collar to reveal the skin of his shoulder, Goh tilting his neck to let the tongue roamed against it. Unable to hold back, he let a small moan escape from his mouth. 

"Tell me if you want this to stop", the question that he asked was logical but his composure wasn't expected of a sane man. In Goh's head, he hardly knew what was up and what was down or what was down or what was up. His body was needy and he hooked an arm on Ash's back to pull him closer for another kiss. 

"Please me", the words were automatically spoken, his head had lost its will to argue. He was greedy and his greed wanted something else to enter him. 

He traced the path down from the chest to the frontal part of the swollen length. It must be stuffy to be confined by a piece of fabric. It was getting tighter and it must have been hard for the Yadon King to battle it in his head to calm it. Being a man himself made him emphatic of the torturous moment and he tugged down the waistband. He adjusted his position while lifting up his chemise. Ash slipped his length out, rubbing against it slowly. 

"Help me prepare. I've never done this", Goh pleaded. 

After licking his two fingers, Ash prodded into the slit, lightly titillated its rim and made a scissoring motion to loosen it up. Some blood coated the jelly like substance, showing how this body belonged to a virgin. 

Down below, Goh noted, it was pulsating and demanding that more were to be done to it. He gritted his teeth to suppress loud moaning - they had people outside of the tent whom they didn't want to stir them awake. 

When Ash pulled his fingers out, he licked it. Grabbing the waistline, he slowly pulled the other closer until the tip was ghosting the folds. "I'm putting it in", he said , waiting for the other to respond. Goh wasn't one to say anything in the situation - he lowered his body and slowly let the whole length to sheath between his legs. His pulsating walls certainly convulsed a jolt through his body. It overpowered his senses that he let a sound off. 

"Nnnhhhh". 

He could tell that Ash was high from the sensation as he closed his eyes to refrain from losing complete control. They breathed in again, trying to adjust to the feeling. Ash reversed their position and lifted the hips to dive deeper. 

"Do you want me to move?"

Goh nodded and he felt a slow thrust entering him slowly. The slow thrust began to pick up the pace and he jammed his eyes shut, feeling the sweep reaching deeper and deeper, stimulating every terminus, becoming deliciously mucilaginous. 

He felt a rush of helplessness, one he wasn't supposed to know and as he yielded into the act, a surging warmth left him limp. The world was constantly dizzying and his voice was getting louder and bolder, mostly drowned by the sound from the waterfall and cricket. 

It was coming closer, the ecstasy he was looking for. "A bit more. Faster", he said, tightening his grip around Ash's arm. The other complied to his request and sent him to the highest cloud. He was held captive there by the mechanical motion and then, his mind clouded, his abdomen pulsating violently. 

Both of them had done the deed. Goh was gnawing on his fingers, a trail of tears forming down his cheeks. Even though he could feel the semen leaking into his groin, that wasn't nearly enough to appease his strangest yet strongest desire. 

"More", he whispered. 

He pulled Ash against himself, saying", Give me more". 

\------------

They did it like rabbits. A whole night long. Strangely enough, no one was awakened from all the sensual noises they were making last night. He didn't understand and neither he knew what prompted him to allow it to happen. 

_I have more self control than that!_

What's more, having awakened in the morning, Goh had to quickly get himself cleaned up, his thighs hurting from being spread too much and got into a clean dress and pants. Meanwhile the overly satisfied King Ash was snuggling with his pillow, too tired to even separate himself from his mattress. 

The whole tent smelled like sex. Luckily, this was the last day they would be at the campsite and he could soon return to a much better smelling chamber than this. 

"Good morning", Ash said, yawning and falling back asleep. 

"His Majesty, it's better to get yourself cleaned up before we leave", Goh said, nudging the sleeping king to get him to wake up. 

"Need ten hours". 

"...." 

"We're leaving after breakfast", Goh reminded Ash of the plan. 

"Have time…" the king just rolled to face another side. 

"My king". 

Goh nudged again.. 

"My **king** ". 

He tried to sound firm. 

"Ash! Wake up!" 

Ash changed his position to face Goh with a grin. "You called my name". 

"It's not something to be happy about!" 

"Hm hm". 

"Just get on with cleaning up", Goh pouted and pushed Ash's head away. 

"Maybe if it's just the two of us, we can just drop the status". 

"You know I can't do that". 

"Hm… how about call me something like honey, or darling. If you're too shy, that is". 

"Why are you asking this of me?" Goh groaned. 

"No?" 

"I'll just… Call your name". 

Ash raised a hand to pull Goh closer. He left a quick peck on the sun kissed cheek. Right after that, Goh pushed into his chest what looked like a toothbrush. 

"Seriously, go clean up yourself". 

"Thank you, my dear". 

Goh felt his heart beat a rhythm he could never guess he had but even with this beat, he could feel the ominous wind silently blowing in his way. 

_It's just this time._

That he tried to reassure himself. 


	25. The Wheels Turning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phew I never thought I would enjoy writing this story. 😏 There would be mention of murder and a drunk man in here, so as usual, reader discretion is required. Drinking too much is not safe for the body and murder is illegal.

The kingdom of Ecruteak was a kingdom that was positioned between the kingdom of Viridian and the kingdom of Vermillion. It was ruled by a royal bloodline that was ruthless and heartless. The social class divide was acute: the poor had became poorer while the rich had became richer. The heart of civilization , no matter how loud they protest, was never heard by the ruling monarchy. For those who wanted to leave the kingdom, they would be caught and executed, instilling fears in the heart of the citizens. 

The capital of Ecruteak, Opulent Acres, was segregated by a wall from the Impoverished realm. Hardly anyone from the acres would leave the wall into the realm of the poor unless they were abandoned or expelled. Whenever there was news of such, the impoverished people would gather around the gate to condemn the rich. 

Such was the social structure in the Kingdom of Ecruteak. Squeezed from their wealth, the poor often lived by a piece of bread. When they had no gold to give, then their produce would be taken away. It was a difficult life in Ecruteak. The monarchy was greedy and now that the slum had expanded, they wanted more beyond their border. 

The ruling king, King Morty, propelled the wine glass he was holding. The shattering sound as it broke, chinked loudly that it could be heard even from outside the throne chamber. Bottles of wine aligned next to his throne. The king was intoxicated. 

"Hahhhhh, here I thought we would finally obtain his power. I plan to have him fuck my wife and get those magic to enter my fucking bloodline through that bitch. Turns out we were duped! Some asshat playing hero, interfering with the execution!" he shrieked. His voice echoed throughout the hall, amplifying his burning anger. 

"He fuck my wife, I fuck him. Does that sound like a difficult plan? I didn't even get to kill that shit commoner. I should've gouge his eyeballs and have him killed!" 

Greed brought the worst in a human. His desire to exploit and absence of humility took over his blackened heart. The jar of darkness was overspilling, his world was a mucky grey. 

"Now where did the coward go?" 

It struck him - he should've thought about it sooner. He had a man at his disposal whom he could use to find King Goh. 

"Guards!!!!" He shouted and two men hurried to answer him. These two were new soldiers. The previous ones, he had them beheaded after they were dawdling too long to answer him. 

"All hail King Morty, the king who was the most benevolent and righteous of all!" 

"Benevolent? I would prefer to be known as the all powerful". 

"All hail King Morty, the king who was the all powerful and righteous of all!!"

"That's better", the king roared with laughter. The two soldiers awaited for his next order while the king reached out for the next bottle of wine. Since the glass was already reduced to shards, he pulled the stopper and tipped the lip to drink it down. 

"Hahhhh", he sighed, finishing half of the Bordeaux Vintage, the liquid sloshing as the bottle was being shaken around. He could drink this all night long and he would still be far from stupor. Although, getting the buzz to fill his head made him cleverer - he could think faster, better and clearer but without a sound judgement. 

Being a king his level, he didn't need to have a sound judgement. 

"Bring in to me Galikali", he asked the two men. 

"But sire, Galikali is notorious for their murderous intent. It could be dangerous to bring him here". 

"Did I stutter?" he coldly asked the man who had the nerve to tell him what he should and shouldn't do. 

"N-no sire. We'll fetch him right away!" 

He spent the next hour drinking himself to sleep. It was the smell of blood that awakened him from his slumber. He gagged at the sight of a severe head of the soldier whom he sent to fetch the man. The art behind it was a little rough but the final expression left frozen in time was beautiful. Still, it was the head of a commoner and he used the bottle to shove it out of his face. 

"Ew, bring this thing away from me", he said in disgust. 

A man, whose face was covered with clothes, only to leave his scarred eyes visible, removed himself from the throne stage. 

"Look what you've done, Galikali. Now I have to find a new replacement and they were all brand new", the king said. Judging by the absence of the other soldier, he was most certainly killed while meeting with Galikali. 

"You called me here. Get on with your damn point".

"Spectacularly brazen. I'll forgive your attitude. I have a job for you". 

"Explain". 

"I want you to find me that royal majesty of the Kingdom of Vermillion. I must have misplaced him somewhere".

"Dead or alive?" 

"Don't kill him! He'd be the best of my collection so make sure he arrived to me unscathed". 

"The reward?" 

"I'll give you lots and lots of gold. Anything else?" 

"A fucking mansion in Opulent Acre with servants and a title". 

"Consider it done. Don't break anything or you won't be getting any". 

"I'll remember that". 

"Oh one more thing. A little warning, the royal majesty has magic power so you might want to take note of that". 

Galikali left the throne hall without looking back, his shadow stretched behind him elongated. If there was magic, then there should be a counter to it. He just needed to find the counter whatever it might be. 

\----------

Residing in a castle at the foot of a hill in Vermillion was the previous King of Vermillion. After his retirement, he had moved himself out of the castle to give his son absolute right on the castle ground. Things had been going well for him - palling around with the villagers who lived nearby, relaxing on the patio on some days to get fresh air; these had been daily activities for him. 

Now, sitting across him in the small guest hall, were the commissioners of the kingdom. Visquez had served under him two years before he stepped down and Hodge had been promoted to the highest general position just before he retired. He knew a little bit about them. The rest of them were chosen once Goh took over his seat. They were pretty new but reliable. 

Meanwhile, the commissioners who were present had come to a decision in their meeting to adhere to the king's request of asking the previous king to take the position as interim king. It all depended if their explanations were well received by His Royal Highness. 

The king's father had asked that tea was served to his guests. They travelled so far to reach his castle - seeing how his son wasn't with them, the matter then could be a secret discussion about the king. 

"We have a situation at the moment, His Royal Highness", said Visquez right after tea was served to them. 

Ikuo had watched Goh since he was a baby and knew what his son was capable of and what he absolutely hated doing. He knew that Goh could also be a troublemaker - he had a record of skipping royal tutoring when he was younger and getting lost in the forest. 

"What could that be, I wonder?" asked Ikuo, taking a sip of his own cup. He had an inkling it was about the king but he didn't understand to what extent the problem with the king was. 

"King Goh is facing an inescapable situation at the moment and is unable to return to the castle until the issue is solved", said Visquez carefully. 

"Stop beating around the bush. What dumb thing has the king done?" 

"... Please keep your calm after hearing it, His Royal Highness. As I have explained before, His Majesty is in a situation where it prohibits him from returning to Vermillion", Visquez defended on his king's behalf, asking the king father to hold back his opinion . 

" I love my son too much for that but there are times when he can be a little too reckless. I believe all of you are here because he has done something irreparable again". 

"His Royal Highness, you must promise not to do anything rash if we tell you about it", Priestess Chrysa pleaded. 

"... Alright, out with it", Ikuo gestured at them to continue. 

"Well, first, we need His Royal Highness to become the interim king until His Majesty returns to Vermillion", said Visquez. 

"Alright. I can hold the position for the time being but I need a clearer picture of what's going on with the kingdom". 

".... We have successfully forged an alliance with Yadon Kingdom. The military support we are receiving from them is in our favour", said Visquez. 

"Huh…. Isn't Yadon Kingdom the one that requires a ward to be sent as a consort to officiate the agreement?" 

All of the commissioners nodded their heads. The king looked at them and he felt like a revelation had just been shown to him. 

"I see it now. Are you telling me that my son finally realized how much he loves Princess Chloe and is going there to get her back? Finally he is growing a pair!" Ikuo laughed and slapped his thigh. 

"T-That's not what happened", High Magician Ren denied the claim. 

"It's not? What else could have happened?" 

"Um…. The king did accompany the princess for the deal but… On the way, they were attacked and Princess Chloe exchanged their sexes. She became the decoy to save the king. The king got on a ship, gone ahead to continue with the alliance deal and now he is basically stuck in the Yadon King's harem as a consort", Hodge briefly explained the situation to Ikuo. 

Ikuo, who had been drinking his tea, choked on the liquid and coughed. "What?" 

"King Goh married the Yadon King", Visquez compressed the story into a single line. 

"Why can't he just turn himself back? What was he thinking getting himself married like that? And to a king?" asked Ikuo. 

"The potion that I made will retain the opposite sex for a year before the effect wears off. It can't be reversed because it will be tapped into the person's magic energy to keep the form like a parasite. The downside is, it completely changes them, meaning they can go through what a woman or a man has to go through", explained Ren. 

"T-Then get him back. Did he forget he has a kingdom to rule?"

"The deal has been officiated, His Royal Highness", said Visquez. 

".... You just told me he can go through what a woman can go through. He is now in the harem. Do you even know what you are telling me right now?" the king's father asked sternly. 

"... I'm sure His Majesty will be able to convince the Yadon King to stay off him. He is a cunning man when needed. He will protect his own self from another enemy. It's just… Maybe he accidentally formed the soul contract",said Hodge, trying his best to have full faith in the king's antisocial personality. 

"Soul Contract? Why is he making the situation more difficult?" Ikuo asked them further. It would be hard to break the soul contract and it only started when the two of them kissed.  _ What's the meaning of this?  _

"That we're not sure, His Royal Highness", the high commissioners said together. 

"That being said, fetch me Acerola. I need her to be dispatched as the king's guard until he is ready to make his return. In the meantime, I will take the position as the interim king. Also, provide her with a crystal ball so that I can drill him down with some lesson on logical thinking", ordered Ikuo. Acerola was the best magician knight they had in the castle. She often was hired to be a royal guard in events to protect the king. 

"Um, there's another thing. We lost Princess Chloe", said Visquez. 

_ They lost Princess Chloe?  _ The former king rubbed his temple. If King Cerise were to hear anything about it, it would shake up his friendship with the said king. 

"You're a priestess, right Chrysa?" asked Ikuo. Chrysa gulped but nodded her head. 

"Then use your divinity magic to locate her". 

"Yes, His Royal Highness", Chrysa answered. 

It seemed that she would need help from her dream elf. 


	26. This is goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or not. Oh no.

Women, whispering words and tales around, albeit harmless to them was vicious and vile. It spreaded like a spider web, linking one mind to another to believe the baseless rumors. 

In the harem palace, it became an entertainment for the consorts to mock other people behind their back. Evil words that can shred one's self esteem were carelessly used in their conversation. When there were evil words, then there would be evil eyes. When there were evil eyes then there would be malicious intent. 

"I never understood it", they said among them, "why did the king favour her?" 

"Isn't it weird how she is given the royal consort title the moment she comes here ? She must have used black magic to fool him". 

"It must be that! How else can she win him over?" 

"You're right. Just look at her! She walks like a man! Play a sport that is only for men. Can't even do one thing that is lady- like!" 

"What do you mean by that?" 

"Remember that weaving session? She can't even loop in the thread! It was an eyesore". 

They all laughed together. Serena, who had been nearby, was listening to their conversation. 

_These girls have too much free time in their hands._

She entered the patio arching above the lilies that were budding in the pond. The consorts who were gossiping kept their mouth quiet at her presence. As a higher ranking consort, she had the power to adjudicate their behaviour. 

"What are you girls laughing about?" asked Serena. 

"We were just talking about Princess Gou, your highness". 

"Do you understand that we do not tolerate tittle-tattle of untrue stories?" asked Serena. 

"But it's not lies, your highness! Compared to you, Princess Gou just lacked the beauty of a woman", replied one of the consorts. 

"Everyone is different in their own way", replied Serena. "Remember the law of woman. The walls have ears". 

She left after reminding them of the harem's law. Lately, she had been listening to conversations talking about Princess Gou. Every woman in the harem was jealous of the favoritism she received from the king. 

The king had given her permission to enter the study hall whenever she wanted as long as the king was there. The king allowed her to step outside of the harem to visit the pokemon nurseries. The king had been visiting her chamber more often than the others. Even Serena didn't get such privilege and she had been loved. 

In fact, Serena felt the same like the rest of them but she was slowly hoping that the king would return to his usual self. He wasn't being unjust but his feeling was out in the open that it was hurting the others around him. 

In the evening, she was visiting the queen mother's tearoom. She brought Bella along- the queen had a soft spot for her granddaughter, pampering them with toys to play. Serena smiled when the queen mother took her daughter and sat her on her lap. 

"She is a beautiful girl. She has your beauty and her brown eyes are just like her father", the queen mother complimented. 

"Indeed, Her Majesty". 

"How is the Harem Palace today? Anything that we should be concerned about?" 

"Her Majesty, it's been four months since Princess Gou enters the harem palace. A lot of consorts are concerned with her etiquette. The way she acts doesn't reflect the subtlety of a royal consort", said Serena. 

"Maybe it's time to assign her a royal tutor but the scholar who can teach her is currently outside of the kingdom visiting her family. Can you teach Princess Gou until she returns?" asked Delia. 

"I'm still in intermediate class", said Serena. She hoped that would change Delia's mind. 

"If you help Princess Gou to catch up until the intermediate class syllabus, both of you can pick up the lesson after that with the tutor".

_I don't really want to be around her too much_ , thought Serena. 

It must have been obvious, the way she was feeling when Delia was chuckling lightly at her. 

"Don't worry. You'll be fine, my princess". 

\----------

"Gou, do you want to see the Magikarp pond?" 

Ash was standing in front of Gou's chamber again, wanting to ask the princess to go out with him. He had just returned from another meeting with the council and had changed out from his majestically looking robe. 

"Well, not that I have anything to do…" Goh said, about to accept the invitation when Serena suddenly intercepted them. 

"I'm sorry , His Majesty but Princess Gou seems to have another plan today", she said, pulling the said princess by her arm. 

"Really?" the king had not heard anything about it when he scheduled his free time for the date. 

"Unfortunately, Queen Mother has assigned Princess Gou to learn about harem etiquette so that she can be a proper royal consort". 

"If it's mum's request, then I guess there's nothing I can do about it. Sorry Gou, maybe some other time", said Ash, scratching his head. 

"No, it's fine. I will take the raincheck". 

The two were walking side by side, leaving the chamber site. Serena observed the way Princess Gou was walking. Broadened chest, heavy footsteps, too wide of a strut - the boyish attitude needed to go. 

Not to mention, casually calling the king without addressing him properly, that needed to go too. When they arrived at the woman's study, Serena invited her to sit in seiza. 

"The queen mother has given me the task to teach you about the royal harem etiquette", Serena said, getting straight to the point. 

"Was I not up to a certain expectation?" asked Goh, laughing dismissively. 

"I'll be honest with you. You act like a man. It might be fine in your country but in Yadon, a woman needs to master the art of being a lady. Especially as a person of high stature like yours, your action is being observed by others around you". 

"That's quite deep", Goh said, the corner of his lips were twitching. He couldn't hide it, his true self since he was a man for eighteen years. One did not simply change their traits overnight on in his case a few months after his transformation.

He hated the weaving sessions the most because of how he was unable to do the simplest of things since he had never thought he would be doing anything else besides ruling a country. Despite being able to at least put the thread through the needle loop, he was still being stared and laughed at when he failed to do other things correctly. 

"We'll start with the way you walk", said Serena. 

"What's wrong with my way of walking?" asked Goh. 

"It simply isn't proper", Serena deadpanned. 

She called for the servant to bring in wooden plates and bowls. "We'll start with this", said Serena. She asked Princess Gou to stand up and corrected her posture. 

"Give more back into it", she corrected her hunch and straightened her shoulders into a more relaxed position.

"Your legs. They shouldn't be spread too far. It's too man like", she said and the other inched them closer. Then, Serena placed the plates and bowls on her head and shoulders. 

"If this falls then you are not walking right", she explained. "Walk until the end of this room". 

It was hard to balance everything on his head and shoulders. Nervously, Goh took a step forward and the plate tilted sideways, falling onto the floor.

_Being a woman is a pain._

"The step you are making is too far. Try again", said Serena, explaining to her what she did wrong. She stacked the plates and bowls back on her head and shoulders. 

Goh felt his head cracked but there wasn't an escape way from it. Instead, he took the lesson like a champ and went through it. He tried his best to make small steps and each time the plates and bowls smacked the floor, he got them up again and repeated the process. 

As a man, he couldn't allow himself to let Serena be the one to pick up the plates and bowls. When she offered to help, he turned her down gently and picked them up by himself. 

At the end of the day, he rejoiced when there was a single plate that managed to stay on his head. 

"We'll continue the lesson tomorrow", said Serena. It wasn't too bad, she guessed. As a student, Gou had an admirable energy to keep trying. At least they were making some progress. 

_Maybe Her Majesty is right. It will turn out just fine._

\---------

A week later, Goh found himself assembled at the courtyard with the rest of the consorts. There were a number of Rapidash lined up, with the king's one burning with blue colour flame. There were a few generals, all were waiting for the king to bid his farewell before leaving for a foreign affair business. 

"I won't be back until it's settled", said the king, telling them that his absence would not be for a short while this time. 

"Please be safe on your journey, His Majesty", said Princess Dawn. She gave him a piece of handkerchief as a token of remembrance of them. 

"I don't have a gift to give you but my king, please take care of yourself", said Iris, then she left a soft peck on his cheek. 

"I only wish for His Majesty's safe return", said Serena and she left a kiss on his lips. 

Goh side eyed them all but stomped on the slight jealousy like stepping on a piece of trash. He made no move despite the king expectantly waiting for him to come over. 

_I would have to be in a seven hell if I am going to act like a girl right now! I can't possibly just turn into a sweet mush…_ his thoughts were cut off when the king took his kiss instead while he was busy bantering with himself. 

"W-What…?" Goh stammered. 

"You took too long thinking so I thought I will make it short and sweet". 

"His Majesty should just go. You'll be late for y-your business", said Goh, trying to make a reasonable excuse to ask the king to hurry with his business. 

"You don't want me around?" 

_Why on earth are you flirting with me right now? Read the mood!_

All eyes of the harem were on them. The queen who had yet to say anything were trying to scarf down her giggling. Goh knew the king would stay longer if he just leave the other hanging. 

"I - I guess I will be happy to see you again but if you take too long, I might not even be here". 

It was an honest answer from Goh but for Ash, he thought that Goh was being playful. 

"Well then, I'll try to finish things quickly". 

Goh knew he would most probably had no other chance to say it and so taking a step forward, he whispered. "Just so you know, I don't hate you and I might have really fallen for you. Just that if we are to see each other again, no matter what the circumstances are, I will always treasure our memories together". 

"If you say it like that I might just stay here", said Ash, slightly anxious with the way Princess Gou was acting. 

"You have a bigger role, dummy. I'll take care of my side. Just go", Goh smiled, taking a long last look of the king. 

He said it. He finally said it. 

It was as if his feet was released from a chain. It felt light. 

"I love you", said Ash, this time he threw his caution to the air. 

"I guess you do", said Goh sadly. _Maybe now you are but imagine if this is the real me. You won't love me as much as I do._

"Then I'll say it again when I return until you want to loath me for it", said Ash, kissing the princess again to remember the feel of her lips . 

It was General Kukui who cleared his throat to remind the king they should be leaving by then. Ash reluctantly let go of the princess and mounted atop his Rapidash. 

The queen told the king to be safe before telling the other consorts to be on their knees and lowered their heads with their sleeves covering half of their faces to show their sadness of his departure. 

The king's band played the trumpets and the king and his generals left for the business they had. Meanwhile, Goh couldn't help but to hide his sorrow at the warm departure. 

He had an inkling that this would be the last day he would be seeing Ash as a person who could love him. 


	27. Magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have entered the second arc 😖
> 
> I can't fit this anywhere in the explanation so to be clear other than pokemons, no one else would be able to understand yamper since no communication magic was casted on the doggo.

Magic - they came in different forms. A person with a tendency to magic would manifest it as early as seven years old. Once they were able to use it, a wizard would pay them a visit to find their strongest attributes . 

A magic user can cast any form of magic but often, a user would pick up spells that suited their strongest attribute due to the spells being more well distributed and easier to control. Often, it will reflect their choices of pokemons as they tend to be attracted to pokemon with the same nature as their magic. 

High Magician Ren was a frequency magic user. Due to this magic inclination, he can manipulate different wavelengths to synthesize chemicals and develop a lot of useful potions for the nation's utilization. Not only that, Ren was also able to stream information from the lightwave to his target ally to show a bird eye view of the location that they wanted to see. He was also able to use portal magic to create a door to transmit a human atomic wavelength to another location. 

High Priestess Chrysa was a dream type magic user. She often received dreams that allowed her to estimate the future and to answer the question she had. Her divinity was of veracious account - if it were to happen in the dream than it would also happen in the future. This nature of her magic also allowed her to learn magic that will impact a human mind. 

Magician Knight Acerola was a curse type user. She was a specialist in voodoo magic, curse acupuncture as well as spirit communications. She used voodoo to paralyzed her enemy and curse to enforce obedience. This created a fighting style that allowed her to take down enemies in large numbers without physically appearing in front of the targets. 

Goh was a well rounded magic user. Except for healing, divinity and curse as these were more of a specialised magic, he could use almost every type of magic spell. It was due to his balanced magic tendency that he was able to sense magical energy and its intention. Due to his bloodline, he was gifted with a massive reservoir of magic to be utilized which allowed him to cast high level or even forbidden spells. 

The royalty used this power to serve the people by protecting them from harm. 

At the port of Azalea, Magician Knight Acerola, together with High Priestess Chrysa were saying their goodbyes to High Magician Ren who had created the portal to send them off to Yadon Kingdom. They were leaving Vermillion for separate missions. 

Two days after their meeting with His Royal Highness Ikuo, Chrysa had bathed in petals of red flowers to initiate a process of dream magic famously known as the Elfen dream. 

Elfen dream allowed a divinity magic user to ask about anything and they would be given hints about the answer. She would be guided by an elf that would appear in her dream. Since her magic was more precise the closer she was to the witching hour, she waited until the night was at its peak to ask about Princess Chloe's location. The elf in her dream led her to a meadow and there, she saw a general donning the Yadon Kingdom's armor. 

On the next day after she dreamt it, she spoke about it to Visquez. They had another meeting with the other high commissioners where they decided that Chrysa should accompany Acerola to Yadon Kingdom. Since she was the one who saw the dream, she ought to recognize the place better than anyone else. 

The pair was also accompanied by a small companion. 

"Yamper! Yamper! Yamper!" Yamper barked, its tail wagging excitedly while in Chrysa's arms. If they were to increase their chance to find Chloe, having Yamper with them would certainly increase the odds. The small pup had been upset when Princess Chloe had left the castle ground. 

Poor puppy. It was Chloe's most loyal friend but it was left behind. No one knew the reason behind it but it was Princess Chloe's wish that Yamper is to remain in Vermillion. It was Chrysa who suggested that Yamper should come along with them to find Chloe. 

"Goodbye, Yamper", Ren rubbed its head gently and Yamper stuck its tongue out in pure bliss. 

"Yamper! Yamper!" 

"Such a cutie", Acerola softly giggled. 

"Isn't he? He'll find us some good lead", said Chrysa. 

Ren took out a piece of scroll with a royal stamp. He gave it to Acerola who looked at it with curious eyes. 

"What's this?" she asked. 

"That is a letter of admittance into the harem. You will be going there as a consort personal assistant", explained Ren. 

"Ah… So I need to show it then", said Acerola, unrolling it to read the content. On it, it described in full detail what her role was as an assistant to the king's consort. 

"I also have a message from Visquez. He said to be careful. Make sure that His Majesty is safe from harm", Ren relayed the message that had been given to him. "Also he told you to keep an eye on the princess once you find her, Chrysa". 

"I'll do my best. Tell Visquez that" Chrysa replied with a small nod. 

After he conveyed the messages, the ship captain called for his passengers to board the ship. Ren watched the two following the other passengers onto the ship. He also saw Mimikins, Acerola's pokemon floating not too far from her. 

"Good luck!" Ren shouted from the harbour. 

They waved at him goodbye as the ship departed from the harbour after the sailors pulled up the anchor.

\------------

The slum area of Ecruteak was one the most dangerous areas in its capital. Murder, dangerous sickness, thefts - these were all so commonly seen that nobody were batting an eye when there were victims who had fallen at the hands of their assaulters or died from diseases. 

Some of the people who lived there were a wanted refugee from their home kingdoms. One could live an easy, illegal life in Ecruteak poor areas since the monarchy didn't take too much interest to check on illegal entries. As long as there was gold to make, they allowed whoever to stay in their land. 

It easily became a hotspot for information gathering. Since a lot of the refugees there were politically involved in their previous kingdom's affair, they were very familiar with what was going on in their land. Information that was leaked from inside their own country was used to be exploited, turning their disadvantages into a money-making situation. 

Putting a sack of gold on the table, Galikali was sitting across a refugee from Vermillion Kingdom. He wasn't interested in the man's background. As long as he could provide what he wanted to know, he could care less about the person's background. 

"You seem like a man who is seeking for answers", said the magician, eyeing the sack of gold but made no move to retrieve them. 

"I was told that you are able to give the information I need", said Galikali. 

"I am a magician but I only know one spell and that's it. If you're here for healing, cursing or anything like that, I'm not the person who could do that", the magician, he lifted a finger to prove his point. 

"All I need is information", Galikali told him. "I will dispel you from the face of the earth if you are unable to answer me". 

"Wait a minute. I have yet to agree to anything and you want to kill me?" 

"You've seen my face. Enough reason for me to have you gone". 

"You're a scary man but if it's information that you need, I'll be happy to assist", said the magician calmly. He wasn't affected by the threat at all. 

"The whereabouts of the King of Vermillion. That's what I'm after", Galikali . The magician tapped his chin, thinking about the question the man in front of him wanted. 

"The King, huh? Then, one sack of gold won't be enough to get the precise location". 

"Just tell me or I'll sever your body parts right here right now". 

"Another threat?" huffed the magician, "Let me tell you how my magic works". 

Galikali glared sharply at the man but allowed the magician to speak. 

"First, you need to give me an offering that I would agree on. Once the deal is fulfilled, I will use the spell to get you the answer that you want. The better the offering, the more exact the information you'll be getting but if you were to harm me after getting your answer, it won't be me who'd get hurt". 

The magician Galikali was dealing with is a reversal magic user. A reversal spell can only be met when a certain condition is met in which for this particular magician, it would be an attempt to double cross the magician. 

"Name your price", said Galikali.

"Four sacks of gold", the other put up four of his fingers. 

"Two sacks". 

"Three sacks and that's my final price". 

Galikali took another two sacks and placed it on the table. "If you lie to me, I will find you and kill you", he warned. 

"You won't find any more genuine information than what I'm about to give you". 

The magician took a chalk and wrote the name of the king on the table. Once he cursively wrote it, red colour bleed into the writing and another line appeared underneath the name. 

"Huh. Interesting. The King is inside Yadon Kingdom's royal harem and is now a consort to the Yadon King", the magician mulled over the information that was given to him. 

"Yadon Kingdom. Are you certain?" 

"My magic never lies . If I was, the money would have returned to your side. You can't double cross me and neither can I". 

"I see". 

The man raked the sacks of gold and tied them to his belt underneath his cloak. "Thank you", he said, all chirpy from the gold coins he was getting. 

Quickly, he left Galikali to be on his own accord, whistling all the way back to his shabby apartment. 

Maybe he should make a stop at the tavern to get some grub and spend some of his gold for a long awaited entertainment. 

\-------

Serena put down a thick book in front of Princess Gou. The sound of the heavy book thudding at the drop shocked her and she visibly jumped from it. Serena felt a little satisfied with the reaction, a revenge after seeing the display of affection a few days ago. It quenched some of the pain she got from it. 

"Your highness, I was lost in thought and didn't think you would be here", said Goh. 

"Well, I think we should speed up a little our lesson. This book will be the next one on the syllabus", said Serena. 

"What a thick book…", said Goh, fiddling with the book cover. 

"It's a book that describes the laws in the royal harem", said Serena, opening the first page of the book. 

"What's it for, your highness?"

"To keep the harem peaceful all the time. That's the purpose the rules were established in harem palace. The first page describes the role of the consort". 

"The consorts are not to refuse king's advances?" asked Goh, his eyebrows knitted. "I'm not sure I like that", he said, picking out a point out of the listed rules. 

"Why do you think that?" 

"Because a woman is a person too. Back in Vermillion, we don't have practices that disrupt a person's ability to make judgement for themselves". 

"Your kingdom is different huh. You're lucky to be born and bred there. A lot of kingdoms are much more digressive in terms of their treatment towards a woman. Yadon is one of those but His Majesty promised to change that". 

"He is a more liberated thinker then", said Goh. The truth was, he could feel that sometimes, the king just ignored some norms like allowing him into his study hall, engaging with conversation about knowledge with him eventhough he spent most of his times listening or even allowing him to ride Rapidash whenever he felt he wanted to. 

"I'm sure he'll manage", Goh finally said and they went down the list written on the pages. A lot of them needed revisions - greeds of controlling power could be felt to seep through the words of law. 

Lessons with Serena had turned into a debating stage as both of them shared stories and ideas how things should have been. Through the conversations, Goh could feel himself bridging into Serena's ideal world. 

"You would make a great queen", said Goh, praising her. 

"About that… The candidacy of a queen can only be filled by the woman who would give the king a crown prince. It's too bad that I only have Bella", said Serena. 

"A girl or a boy, why does any of it matter?" 

Serena felt a small flutter in her heart. "You know, someone told me that too. The both of you are very similar and yet different".

It was a warm memory, that one. She was sure Ash was working hard to make it happen for all of them. She could feel the princess' confusion but she won't give the other the satisfaction of knowing that the person Serena was comparing her too was the king himself. 

It was approaching lunchtime and the two decided to stop their reading. 

"Let's go to the patio to get something to eat", Serena suggested, keeping the book back in the shelf.


	28. Conflicting Distress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ganbatte, Goh.

Something was different than usual, Goh pondered as he wrapped himself in a thick blanket. Normally, he would be able to regulate his body temperature and despite the season entering well into mid summer, he could feel his body warmth dropping. 

_ Am I sick?  _ was the first thing that crossed his mind. He felt unnaturally drained ; he already knew that half of magic was withheld by the sex transformation but he should be able to cope with the rest of it given the abundant magic he had at his disposal. 

Only this time, he felt half of the remaining magical energy had been trimmed down further, leaving him with just enough to perform simple spells such as lighting up the candle or moving lightweight objects around. 

He was also experiencing odd twinges around his abdominal part. It sometimes woke him at night, causing him to get less sleep and often, Goh would find himself nodding off in Serena's lesson. Today , he felt exceptionally tired that he had to ask Serena to postpone the class until he recovered. 

In his dismay, he was also feeling for some cheese and not just any cheese. A cheese made from a Miltank milk that was raised in the valley of the crusaders in Vermillion. The cheese was famous for its magic replenishment properties - some herbs were also mixed in the cheese to make it nourishing. Since he was too far from his kingdom, Goh tried to be reasonable with his request and asked for a common type of berry that gave him some amount of magic recovery. 

Later that evening, Serena visited his chamber to check up on him. Goh had refused to leave his bed since walking up to the door was such a labour in his condition. A slave helped to open the door for her instead - her assistant was carrying a basket for her. 

"How are you feeling, your highness?" asked Serena, closing in her distance with the bed. 

"I'm not faring too well at the moment", said Goh, speaking from inside the roll. There had been better days but as of late, everyday was just getting worse. Getting worried, Serena placed her palm on the princess' forehead. 

"You seem to have a cold fever", she said. "I brought you some oil extracts. They're good for the body". 

"Your highness shouldn't have gone through all the trouble", said Goh. 

"It's no trouble at all. I just want you to get well soon. For the lessons".

She tried to deny her purpose of her visit. It was true that she still felt envy of Gou but the longer the time she spent with her, the more she understood what made her a charming person. There were a lot of qualities about Gou that could change people's perspective the closer you are with her. 

Gou had never shown meaningless haughtiness. If she weren't unable to do something, she was quick to express it, shyly at first but as they grew comfortable around each other, the communication between them just flowed naturally. 

Gou was also easily excited about anything that pleased her. She wasn't mechanical in the way she acted, she would gesture out her thoughts for everyone to see rather as if it was habitual for her. If she wanted to chase for something, she made it obvious that you could easily follow her along. Her energy just vibrated with everyone around her. 

Serena could understand a little why Ash was invested with the Vermillion princess. Watching how her health lapsing for the worse, it concerned her. Not to mention, these were all happening while the king was outside of the country for foreign affairs. It must be hard on her physically and mentally. 

"I'll bring in the royal doctor to see you", she said, "first thing in the morning". 

"Um", came the short reply. It lacked the usual enthusiasm but still a favourable reply. 

"Rest well, your highness". 

\-------

It was the day after in the afternoon when Princess Serena was seen walking out of Princess Gou's sleeping chamber and waited at the door. A royal doctor emerged from inside the chamber and was seen talking to her. She covered her mouth, her face increasingly troubled by whatever it was the royal doctor was telling her. 

They went inside the chamber together and ten minutes later, Princess Gou left her chamber in a hurry. Her poor health forced her to stop after a few minutes of walking and she was seen hunched over the fence, throwing up into the pond. She looked pale and her eyes were looking at every part of the buildings as if she had seen ghosts. 

The audiences who were sitting by the balcony, Iris and Dawn watched as Serena hurriedly went over to Gou's side, trying to talk her out over something that bothered her, kneeling next to her and was telling her something to calm her down. Between lunch and teatime, the consorts were often seen lounging out at the patio or balcony to observe the events around them. 

"I wonder what's going on over there?" asked Iris. She was particularly invested with the way Serena was handling the situation. Whatever it was, it didn't look good.

"Since when is Serena close to Gou?" asked Dawn, curious at the sudden development of their friendship. She was too busy taking care of her own daughter that she had missed out quite a lot in the harem's development. 

"It's been awhile, I think. She's been given the task to help Gou catch up with the harem studies by queen mother".

"Huh. Look", Dawn pointed out at the two; Gou was shaking her head so fast as if to reject or deny something. They gasped when Princess Serena who was often not seen to show compassion was pulling the other into a hug and rubbed Gou's hair gently. As she hid her face in Serena's shoulder, Serena craned her head to offer comfort. 

"This is rarely seen of her. I wonder what they are talking about", said Dawn, trying hard to figure out the mystery. 

The two continued to observe, wondering if they should ask Serena about it when they met her. 

\----------

The world was staggering. He was overcome by the sense of jitteriness, a news triggering his conflicted sense of self to pour forth worn him out mentally and physically. 

The more he thought about it, the more he went haywired. 

"I don't want the baby", was the first thing that was uttered from his mouth when the royal doctor told him that he was  **pregnant** . It surprised the doctor as well as Princess Serena who was in the room to break the news to him. If she had thought that Princess Gou would celebrate the news, she was not expecting such a cold response from her. 

It was rare to see anyone in the harem had the courage to reject the idea of getting pregnant, especially when they could potentially give birth to a crown prince. The baby could very well lift their status to the rank of a queen, a position that was yearned by the consorts. 

What had brought this about? 

"Your highness, please don't say a scornful thing like that. This is a blessing for you as well as the king", Serena tried to give the princess who was clearly upset a word of advice. 

_ Scornful? You don't know how this will destroy my sense of self. I am a king who rules a kingdom. I will be a freak if I let this happen!  _

"There's a limit that I would rather not cross it", Goh replied to her, his agitation apparent the moment he gave into a defensive comeback . "Is there a way to remove it?" 

Matter of abortion was frowned upon in the harem palace. Serena reminded Gou of whose child she was trying to harm. Even if it was still developing, the child had already existed. 

"Your highness, this is a king's child that you are trying to kill". 

"I can only think of getting rid of it because it's unnatural. I don't think I can bear with the thought of keeping it". 

"There's nothing unusual about expecting a child after consummation", said Serena. 

Goh looked at her with sadness written all over his face. "Don't I have a choice? I'm a human too. I should be able to choose whether to conceive or to stop it right here right now".

The harem was strict with the way the consort was treated. They may live an easy luxurious life but they couldn't live with their own decision or be free. Serena could only shake her head. 

Goh didn't take it too well. 

He was drowsy from the lack of energy to sustain himself but it didn't stop him from tossing the blanket onto the floor in his panic as he hurriedly left the room. He wanted to leave the harem palace- if he made that escape now, maybe he would still have a chance to make everything right. 

He looked around for an exit but because he was moving too fast, the blood didn't reach his head and he felt dizzy. His problems just kept adding on top of another, giving him more pressure than he would like to handle. The next thing he knew, he was hunched over the fence and throwing up yellowish bile into the pond. 

The stress was taking a toll on his body. He was sitting on his knee to try to clear out his blurry sight but the world just kept spinning until he couldn't feel the ground and needed him to stoop down to it. 

Five minutes was all it took for Serena to catch up to Gou , her worry increasing. She dropped any formality as she spoke to get through her, "Gou, listen. If you won't calm down, your body will weaken and it won't be good for you or the baby". 

"But I don't want it. The baby needs to go", he was adamant about his decision. How could he when he was still a man? Given that his body might be in this form, he had pride to hold. He shook his head furiously, his mind having a meltdown from it. 

"I know you're confused but trust me, it'll be fine", Princess Serena wrapped her arms around the other and lent Gou her shoulder. She never thought that Gou would react so vehemently to the news of her pregnancy. Serena ran her fingers through her strands, hoping that it would give her some solace. 

_ Why are you hurting so much? Is there something you're hiding?  _ Serena couldn't help but ask herself that. 

People did have secrets that they held and secrets could have adverse consequences. Be that as it may, she hoped that her assumption remained merely as an assumption. 

\---------

_ It's not fine!  _ It wasn't nearly acceptable. If the wall could burn from just his glare, it should be doing its job by then to burn to crisp. Princess Serena had left him in his own accord and the royal doctor? He went off to talk to the queen mother. He was certain that by now the whole harem would've known about it. 

He could use his magic but magic could not be used for intentional self harm. He tried various methods to get injured at least in the course of an hour after he was left alone in his chamber but he soon discovered - his magic was also protecting those he was carrying. 

"This is idotic. I'm an incapable person. I can't even keep an eye on myself", he sighed and just covered his face with the pillow. 

The door was suddenly opened and Raboot walked into the room. 

"Raab raab". (His Majesty, I've heard the news). 

"I don't deserve that title. You can just drop it. Which king would allow himself to get into this freak incident?" 

"Raab raab". (Time and tide wait for no man).

Goh knew that Raboot meant to say that it's your own damn fault and it was a little too late to be regretting it now. Raboot always had a way with its words. The message would hit home and it would hurt to hear it. 

Raboot wasn't there to condemn him. If it had been its intention, Goh knew he would hear more nagging coming from the said pokemon. 

"Raab raab". (Would it help His Majesty to know that nothing will change even if He is going through the unconventional method of having a child?) 

"Don't I have dignity to live by?" 

Raboot rolled its eyes.  _ Now he is worried about his dignity but he got himself so deep in a hole, he didn't even want to stop going deeper. Haihh…  _

"Raab raab". (Please forgive my rudeness) 

Raboot climbed atop of the bed and pulled the pillow from Goh. The king, whose face was previously hidden, had been crying while trying to keep his voice as normal as he could. 

"Raab raab". (I'm a pokemon so I might not understand human expectation much. My liege, you're only eighteen. You make mistakes so I don't expect to serve a perfect king right off the bat)

"For my kingdom, do I even have a room of error? If I were to lose my homeland, I won't know what I should do. It keeps getting harder to leave this place".

"Raab raab". (Then improve. Don't be negligent. Pick up the hints from your surroundings. This happened because you didn't understand the greed in this harem palace).

"What do you mean?" 

"Raab raab". (My king, ask yourself. What does this kingdom need but yet to be fulfilled?) 

"I don't understand… oh", but it hit him like a brick. 

Yadon Kingdom was one of the three strongest kingdoms around the world. In order to keep law and order in the harem, authoritarian rules were established in its monarchy structure. A woman can never ascend the throne and thus, this kingdom yearned for a crown prince. 

Goh thought back of the night. That must have been staged by someone. 

_ Think further.  _

"The tonic… That wasn't just a tonic. It's a sort of medicine or… intoxicating medicine". 

"Raab raab". (If His Majesty tried hard enough, He could do it. The queen mother is the happiest woman once she heard the news from the royal doctor. Some things seemed to raise suspicions)

"With this knowledge, what am I supposed to do about it?" asked Goh. 

"Raab raab". (It's not just that. Where does His Majesty think King Ash had gone too?)

"He told me he was going off on a foreign affair business. Is he not?" 

"Raab raab raab". (This Kingdom is due for something more ambitious. I overheard their conversation the other day in his study. He was talking to a few council members)

"Tell me more, Lord Raboot". 

Raboot could still remember the chill it was getting when listening to the royal decree. King Ash had more in his mind then it initially thought. 

"Raab raab". (Yadon Kingdom is preparing for their campaigns to grow as an Empire). 

"All this while, he had had that goal in his mind. Then, what of this pact?" 

"Raab". (I believe it would be nullified and we will be asked to surrender peacefully. That's my opinion on this). 

"Anything is fair in political game, huh?" 

"Raab raab". (I have an idea, His Majesty) 

"I'm listening". 

"Raab raab". (We deprive them from what they wanted. The child, we bring them back to our kingdom)

"And then? Just keeping the child around won't be staving off their attempt". 

"Raab raab". (We build our own empire, my liege. It's a race between us and the Yadon King) 


	29. Freedom

Two days after the breaking news of Princess Gou's pregnancy, the harem was shaken yet again by an incident. Two consorts, one from Pewter Kingdom and another from Cyllage Kingdom, were brought in front of the queen for the accusations of a slander to the king's name. 

The queen mother and three of the royal consorts were present in the queen's palace. Princess Gou was kept out of the scene due to her condition despite being a royal consort herself. 

When the consorts were summoned by the queen mother in such manner, there was no escape from a severe punishment. The consorts were forced to kneel in front of the four, their faces lowered to the ground. 

"This morning, a witness had brought to our attention a serious misdeed from the two of you. Are you aware of this accusation?" the queen mother who reigned the harem laid out the case on trial. 

"We are not aware of it, Her Majesty", one of the consort replied, her body shaking furiously. 

"Then, let the court be the judge to your defense. Bring in the witness". 

An eunuch whose face was covered with black cloth to hide his identity was brought into the court. 

"Tell us what you saw", the Queen mother ordered. 

"Her Majesty, this morning while I was going to clean the accused room, I was shocked to see there were two of them in such a shameful state. The clothes were all on the floor and ah, it's too horrible for me to think about it", the eunuch dramatically said, fakely sobbing. 

"Queen Mother, it was all a mistake. Such things did not happen and the eunuch must have mistaken", said the Cyllage consort. 

"How could I be mistaken when you're greedily touching where your hands shouldn't be?" asked the eunuch, scoffing at their defense. 

"Do you understand the error you have committed?" asked the Queen Mother. 

"We did not do such t-" when the Cyllage Princess was about to finish it, the Pewter Princess suddenly stood up. She couldn't stand the way they were being treated anymore. 

"We are lovers. What's wrong with that?" she admitted to them. 

"Don't", the other princess tugged her sleeve and was consumed by fear. "You will anger queen mother". 

"Enough. If we keep hiding it, nothing around here will change. Just admit it, neither of us will be chosen by the king. If he had, he would be as swift as a Jolteon. That's how it is with Princess Gou, isn't it?" 

The rest of the room was quietened. There was a truth in her words. 

"The harem isn't blind at all. All the consorts here watched them by day and by night and knew exactly how she already received the king's favour. We couldn't compete and so we found love among us. What's the difference between a man and a woman's love to another woman for another woman?"

"Silence", the queen mother's voice was low but she demanded obedience. A few tugs from the Cyllage Princess, and the other was back on her knees. 

"Please forgive us, Her Majesty!" the Cyllage Princess quivered. 

"Your highness has only spoken the truth. For decades, a lot of the consorts had tragically died with the way things work in the harem. Let's ask the royal consorts of their opinions", said the queen mother. 

"If we go by the book, they would be executed", said Dawn. She had long churned the harem's book of law and order into her head and spoke of the punishment like it was at the back of her hand. 

"However, abandonment was what flames it. What they did is nothing wrong", said Iris. 

"I said if it's by the book. We have to deliver something equal to replace it or it would be a topic of conversation inside the old council", said Dawn. 

"Serena, what do you think about it?" asked Iris. Serena was deep in thought for a while. 

"Banishment from the harem is better than execution. Queen Delia, ever since you have ruled the harem, I believe there is not a single blood has spilled in the palace". 

She had read all about it, the history of executions that had occured in the harem. Queen Delia had the cleanest record from all the queens before her. There was a time in history when a queen had executed consorts for entertainment. The harem had seen the worst play staged with all the bullying, the murder and the betrayals and those dark days should not return to the current reign. 

"That it is. The two of you. In the face of others, you will be tried, in fact condemned for your ways of searching for love. Now, I will release you from the harem for your treason. Leave", ordered the queen. 

The two girls bowed, taken aback by the queen mother's decision and held each other's hands as they smiled warmly. The harem that they had come to fear was unexpectedly ruled by a gentle woman. Queen Delia's decision surprised them all. 

The girls tightened the finger links. 

Finally, they could be free. 

\------------

Serena, waited outside of Gou's sleeping chamber, waiting for the right to enter the room. The soldiers guarding the door looked straight ahead until she ordered them to let her in.

Gou was reading a book on the bed. Serena could see the black cover with words that were written in a language she couldn't understand. 

Goh had decided that the first thing he should do after getting over his pregnancy blues was to find a way to break the contract so that he could leave without repercussions. 

"What's that you're reading?" 

"It's a book about things outside of Yadon", said Goh, flipping the page to find what he was looking for. He made no effort to hide it since apart from magicians, no one would know the words of magic and spells. 

"It looks old", asked Serena. 

"I got Raboot to pick it up for me in the king's study hall. He doesn't seem like much of a reader so he told me I could just pick up anything to read from there", said Goh. 

"At least you have something to do without having to leave the chamber. Are you feeling a lot better?" asked Serena, softly smiling at her. 

"I'm ready to go out and take a breather from being stuck in this room", said Goh. When he found a page that might be useful, he folded the tip of the page. He had spent a few days asking Raboot to go back and forth to search for grimoires that would offer some clue about breaking the soul contract. 

The spell he was looking for was the one that would break the soul contract between the king and him. It fell under a black magic category - to break something that was considered pure was equalled to an act of the devil. 

He would give it a read later but not in front of Serena because she would be asking about it. 

"Then we can probably go through the book of Harem law and order tomorrow. Do you want to do it during teatime?" 

Goh felt strangely ticked off by the mention of the book. "Hey Serena, if you don't mind me asking, can you explain to me the significance of that book?" 

Serena sat by her side, trying to find the right word to make it sounded less restrictive. 

"It's a pledge of a king a few centuries ago to a queen. That she would have a kingdom of her own to rule and that the kingdom was meant to assist a king, no matter who the ruler was. Over the eras, changes had been made by adding more laws. No queens had ever removed any of it. It became the words of law in the harem and its execution must be abide to since the council will keep an eye on the harem". 

"Another one. Why the need to keep a person stuck in here for the rest of her life?" 

"It's…. It's for being a representative for that country".

"But the consorts' voices were never heard. If they were, then I can believe in equality when the alliance were formed between any of the countries but here, even if they received words from outside, they cannot plead for the sake of their homeland and even if they did, I believe it wouldn't be heard since it wasn't the first wife or the queen who had spoken. Isn't it injustice then to cage them here?"

Serena sighed." You're right. It's an ugly truth isn't it? Love has become a tool of exploits and also the reason for punishments". 

"I heard about it. What happened yesterday". 

"They aren't in the wrong and so we delivered the softest punishment we can". 

"They're free to love outside of the harem. I wish that could happen to me too", Goh scoffed. The reality was uglier than this fake illusion he was living in. 

"What are you talking about? Isn't the king head over heel for you?"

"Sometimes I would just look at the window, wondering if that's truly the case".

"Why don't you ask him again when he returns?" 

"He would say it as much as he can but I know, the real deal can't have it", Goh laughed miserably. His words puzzled Serena and it led it to her reaching out to his forehead to check on his temperature. 

"You don't have a fever. Did you hurt anywhere?" 

"No. I'm fine". 

They continued to talk about other things to change the mood. Even this friendship between them, Goh would watch it whisk away when the time came. 

He decided that he should make the best of it while he can. 

\-----------

The Yadon King remembered of his pledge to change the governing system of his kingdom. He remembered it full well what he was seeking throughout, a chance to break free from the suffocating archaic ways of ruling. 

Then one day, General Kukui had come up to him after deploying the support cavalries to Vermillion Kingdom to talk about his finding on the topic of government revisions in his private study hall. 

"It's not easy to remove the council, His Majesty since it had been embedded for so long and most of them are nobles", said Kukui, laying out the main problem they were trying to eradicate. 

"And that's why I want you to look into it, General. In terms of knowledge, you're obviously more experienced and are well respected", said King Ash. 

"I did look into it, His Majesty. I wonder just how far are you willing to go to realize it", said General Kukui, questioning the king's determination. 

"How far should I go into realizing it? You have the answer to that, don't you?" 

"My king, I know that once you set your eyes on an objective, you will follow it through. That's why I am here serving under you, His Majesty". 

"Then you know I am serious about changing the things around here", said Ash. It was no brainer with him. If he wanted something, he would do it with his own hands. 

"Can I know why?" asked Kukui, growing curious. Yadon Kingdom could be considered one of the flourishing parts of the world. Indeed the monarchy part of it wasn't too much of a worry but he was talking as someone who was a foreigner of this country. Surely, the king whose home was the palace had a different viewpoint of it.

"I don't want my children to suffer the same fate as me. Not having the freedom to explore the world. I understand the beauty of having that kind of freedom. Unrestricted environment did create a wonderful person", said Ash. 

"I see. Are we talking about Princess Gou?" 

"I won't deny it that she becomes a part of it", said the king. "My ambition had long been there since my childhood. I wish to free the consorts. People like Dawn, Iris, Serena and mum. I want them to be able to make their own life because they are precious people in my life". 

"How is this tied to the council, my liege?" 

"Let's put it simply as because the council still existed, the royal harem is still in effect. You do realize that they are making fun of me? It's because my presence is an amusement for the rest of them. I have power and yet they have power over me. I have to follow their demand to please them just so that I can remain as the king. Essentially, keeping the harem is also a part of their demand. If the council were unsatisfied, I will be replaced with the other royal house", explained Ash. 

"And so the issue they brought on the table about the pressure on filling in the crown prince position, they did it because it would hurt you?" 

"And that's why, mum will use every means possible to get the council out of the way. I met her to talk about the so - called tonic she gave me at the Pallet Temple. I am still mad at her about it". 

The king was well aware that it was the tonic that had caused his self control to degrade that night. He wanted both of them to take their time but it had happened. While he certainly did not regret it, he wanted it to be something they both would treasure. 

"Tonic…. I shouldn't pry, my king but are you indirectly telling me that something major happened that night at the campsite?" 

"I'm surprised you're not aware since we're not exactly quiet", Ash cleared his throat, looking away to avoid any eye contact. 

General Kukui put the information together. He did feel exceptionally sleepy that night… 

"I think my food was spiked and I fell asleep right after the meal, His Majesty!" Kukui gasped. 

Steering away from the subject, Ash asked, "Now that you know what drives me for the change, tell me what you've found out". 

"My king, to abolish a kingdom's system, you have to change its current state. By that, I mean that Yadon has to become an Empire. That way, the one who brought back the power will have full control on how he wanted the empire to be ruled by". 

"An empire... In that case, bring me Clemont. I need him to advise on what we should be doing to achieve it". 

Clemont was called in right after the summon. They proceeded to draft out a plan to turn a kingdom into a powerful empire. He realized that the campaign would take him months or even years before he could return to the palace. 

The queen would be given power to control the kingdom while he was away. She would be supported by the royal houses that were loyal to the current monarch to give her more influence on the throne. 

**That conversation happened two weeks after their visit to the Pallet Temple**. In the present, the air had heightened the heat. The king saw a wide area spread out as far as the eyes could see. Soon, the pearly sand that belonged to Saffron Kingdom would be smeared with the colour of their blood. 

Riding on a gallant Rapidash, his armour shone in the sun, glittering with might. The assault foot cavalries and the defense soldiers carrying a body length shield and a short sword stood in the glaring summer sun, their spirits unwavering. 

"Men, our success of the campaign depends on your performance today. You are here to stand with the rise of a new empire. Your contribution today will go down in history. Hold your line and never fear for a new era is waiting for all of us", said King Ash. 

The knights with sync partners rounded their troop. They would be the active assaulter in the troop - them and their pokemon would be focusing on the opponents with their own sync partners. Once they had taken down the opponent cavalry, they were to assist their troops to clear out the area. There would be the opposition soldiers that would try to escape and these escapees must be detained to restrict the information flow. 

"Fight even when you don't have the will to. We will return to Yadon victorious!" 

At the blow of the horns, the soldiers surged forward as planned. King Ash could sense it, the wind of change is coming. His Pikachu sat atop the Rapidash back, looking out the battlefront in commenced. 

_For the future that I wish to have, I have set on this journey. I'll change the system, even if this will cost me my life._


	30. Acerola's Arrival

Yadon's port wasn't short of traders visiting the area to find a business opportunity or rare items for bidding. Avoiding the busy crowd, Acerola and Chrysa watched the port area with amazement. 

"Even Azalea Port is not this busy", Acerola said when she saw the massive crowd. They kept coming despite the port being packed like sardine cans. 

Yamper was being carried by Chrysa and it wagged its tail while yapping excitedly at the people.

"Oh, look some of them are wearing tails… Are those local fashion?" asked Chrysa. The wardrobe around here sure was fascinating. 

"It might be. The culture here is… How should I put it… Unique?" 

"Wah, I've never seen jewelleries being worn until it could fill your whole arm", said Chrysa, attracted at the way the ladies were walking in shimmering gold arm gauntlets. The citizens of Yadon boasted their wealth in the street by up dressing their daily wear while carrying on with their usual routine. 

They found a small coffee shop beside the city square and had mint tea and funnel cakes, a recipe originating from Vermillion. Albeit the taste was a little too sweet and it replaced the custard sauce and blueberries with strawberry sauce instead, it was still a wonderful take on the original version. 

"This is good", Acerola touched her face as she took a bite from her fork. Mimikins were floating above her, staring at the yummy treats she was eating. 

Yamper was napping on the floor, tired from the summer heat in Yadon. Despite the kingdom being somewhat breezy at the port, with a sea of people moving about in the street, the heat was unbearable. The shade in the cafe offered a cooling place for the pokemon, making it dozed off almost instantly. 

"The way the strawberry sauce is made is simply delicious. It's a little buttery but it tastes so good", said Chrysa, her eyes shone from the sweet, caramelized flavour of the sticky sauce. 

"I'm sure there are more places like this. We have some time to enjoy the food here", said Acerola, suggesting that they were to meet up again when they have the time. The two decided that they should meet up every two weeks to update each other with their progress. 

The two departed separately after they were done with the food. While Chrysa went to look for an accomodation for the rest of her stay, Acerola asked the people around to find the palace main gate. She thanked her guides for their time and arrived at the palace gate later that evening. 

The palace was enormous. Even the gate was already covering the roof of the palace and when she crossed it, she was amazed at how tall the pillars were built to hold its massive roof. There were a number of legendary pokemons arts and slowpokes designs etched and crafted on its marble beautifully: Yadon Kingdom's palace was truly a magnificent work of art. 

It was summer in the kingdom but the shadow casted over the place cooled the ground, keeping it in a comfortable temperature. Acerola stood in front of the throne hall entrance where she was told to wait until a eunuch came to bring her to harem palace. Mimikins stayed inside her pouch bag to keep away from sight. 

She didn't have to wait for long when a man in what she assumed the eunuch palace costume (it sure looked warm with the layers he was wearing) came to get her. 

"You are Acerola?" he asked, greeting her with a small bow. 

"That I am. I'm here to assist the Vermillion Princess as ordered by the king of my kingdom", she told him, explaining her position to him. 

"The Queen mother had told me about you. She would like you to meet her to ask about something", said the eunuch. 

"I would like to see the princess first, if you don't mind", said Acerola. 

"Unfortunately, the Queen insisted formally for your presence". 

Before the conversation ended up in a circle, Acerola leaned into the request and followed the eunuch. They took a carriage to the harem palace, which was a forty minutes ride and was brought into another temple-like hall she assumed to be where the Queen Mother resided. 

"Queen mother, I've brought you the assistant from Vermillion", announced the eunuch, stepping aside to let Acerola in. The Queen Mother sat on her throne, the edge of her silk skirts draped over her lounging cushion. 

"You are Acerola?" asked Queen Delia. 

"I am, Her Majesty", said Acerola, giving her a respectful curtsy. 

"Then you must know how to answer a problem that could only be solved by the people in your kingdom".

"I'll do my best, Her Majesty. I am only a human and not everything can be solved by my humble self". 

"The princess is searching for a particular food that we are not able to make here. There were a few on the list but the most frequently mentioned were Funnel cake with custard cream, Miltank Cheese and Chansey Egg Omelette with Silver Pinap Berries. Do you know how we could replicate the recipe?"

_ Is that what's bothering you?  _ asked Acerola but she just gave her a smile and a nod. 

"Another thing. This is probably just a side request for you but since there were no female assistants to accompany the princess to Magikarp pond and the king's study hall, we had been restricting her movement to these places since the king was not in the kingdom at the moment. Only Raboot is allowed to pick up the books from there.

However, the king had mentioned that she likes reading and watching Magikarps cured some of her homesickness. If you would bring her once in a while, of course with my permission, it would help her. It would be good for her health as well as the baby", said the queen mother, worried of her royal consort's health. 

She knew that most of the consorts in the harem harboured negative feelings for the princess and while they were careful enough not to engage in direct fight with the princess, their words could be as sharp as knives. 

Since Serena was there to keep them tolerable most of the time, it showed that the harem palace didn't accept such behaviour but it didn't hide the fact that they were uneasy with Princess Gou's rank and her pregnancy. This matter needed to be resolved but she couldn't find the right way to break the animosity just yet. 

Acerola, while the queen was moaning of her harem issue, could only register the words  **baby** in her brain. The King was going to have a baby. She panicked in her head as she thought what she was going to do about the news. 

Clarifying its exact duration sounded like the best thing to do at the moment. "How long had she been pregnant, Her Majesty?" 

"Let's see… This should be the fourth month. Oh… we haven't shared the news yet with your King and Queen! We would definitely send him a letter to talk about our future grandchild! Our royal shaman is very sure that your princess is carrying a boy. Isn't it exciting? We haven't told the princess about it but we can never be too sure until the baby is given birth to so we kept it a secret". 

Acerola gaped but quickly closed her mouth. "T-That's good news, Her Majesty!" she chuckled nervously, breaking into sweats after finding out that the mission to stop the worst outcome from happening had failed. 

_ His Royal Highness is going to be completely upset. Should I tell him or should I hide it? _ She thought, trying to come to the best decision.

"My earlier question was about the food. Do you know how to replicate it?" 

"I can give you the recipe to Chansey Omelette with Silver Pinap berries and I know a small shop that sells funnel cakes. The shop owner might be able to make it", said Acerola. 

"Oh? Such convenience! Then we shouldn't hold her back from the food she craves!" said the Queen Mother, shortly after, calling a servant to find the said place. Acerola described to her what it looked like and the servant, recognizing the place, immediately left the queen's throne room for it. 

"Thank you for your assistance, Acerola. Please, we hope you enjoy working within the harem palace", said the Queen. 

"It's my pleasure, Her Majesty", said Acelora, giving her another curtsy before leaving. 

\-------

Goh was chewing on the bitter leaves from the Honey Tree until it was properly garnished before swallowing it. He was lucky that the palace had planted a few of said trees on its ground. Honey tree's leaves were often used to increase magical energy as a replacement for Miltank Cheese. It gave a lot more than what berry consumption could provide him. The only downside was it tasted bitter to the point it took all of his willpower to just put the leaves in his mouth. 

Raboot had made sure to collect some every morning or Goh would be so wearied by the magic depletion that he would become cranky. Mood swing was not a laughing matter; he lost count of how often he had cried because of the various stress factors he was dealing with. 

The harem consorts, excluding Serena, Dawn and Iris, everyone else was going after him with their loud whispers when pointing out all of his mistakes. Serena had stopped the lessons as ordered by the queen and accompanied him instead to help him get through his emotional roller coaster. 

From time to time, Serena would share the stories about how each of the consorts came into the harem and how some of them had fallen for the king but had yet to be noticed by him. 

_ Ash is very popular but the king himself doesn't look like he cares much about it.  _

Goh was sure that he could easily be replaced after he was gone with the long line of women after him. Meanwhile, he wondered if he could ever move on from this. Fate was being cruel to him. 

From time to time, he would have to deal with the question of his gender and his real identity. What would other people in his kingdom think if they found out about his state? If he could keep it all a secret, then bringing the baby with him shouldn't be a problem since he could just pass it off as royal adoption but the child would never know that he was in fact their real mother. 

He would have to live with the knowledge without telling them the truth. Often, it would hit him the hardest when he was alone and tears would just well up and he would be soaking his pillow with it and asking the child to forgive him for it. 

But the scariest one out of all these problems was knowing that he would be seeing Ash again but in the face of an opposition. He knew at some point, a breach of the alliance contract would happen. They had to expect that since politics was a game of betrayal. As a kingdom that was looking out to grow as an empire, the time was ticking for the allied kingdoms to put up their white flags to Yadon King. 

And still, knowing that he would still harbour these feelings in secret, it pained him to think about it. From the moment it happened, Goh cursed his mood swings and made an oath that he would ban the sex exchanging potion once he returned to Vermillion. It's enough that he suffered through this alone. 

There was also the stress of his pending works. While they were able to steer off the neighbouring kingdoms from attacking due to their alliance with Yadon Kingdom, once they were back on their own, he needed to figure out a way to build his own military might. He could probably time his escape with getting to Mew on a moonless night. That way, he could bring Mew along with him. 

Vermillion Kingdom had the advantage of magic with them but even then, it wasn't enough to just rely on it in war. A war to expand his own power was inevitable in order to fend off Yadon and their neighbouring kingdoms and getting Mew to take his side would be the key to a mightier army. 

"I have an endless list of problems", he sighed, taking a few more leaves to ensure that he was properly nourished. Since the baby was growing quickly, he could already feel a series of small flutterings from time to time. While he was slightly happy to feel it, his magic was also being drained even faster than a few weeks ago which just added to his expanding dilemma. 

"Four months and you're taking all of me", he sighed again, patting on the small bump gently. "Since your father won't ever meet you, should I give you a name now? Or should I let your grandpapa and grandmama choose it for you?" 

He felt a slight flutter again. The baby was rebelling against his decision to just up and leave. "I have no choice, alright? All of us have a life to return to. The good thing is you're going to inherit my throne instead of your daddy's. I'll take that any day". 

A soft knock on the door resounded and a woman whom he knew so well showed her face from behind it. Goh dropped the leaves in his hand and knew that the plan to hide about the pregnancy was going down the drain. 

Acerola stepped in and waited for the guards to close the heavy door. It had been months since she last saw him and he looked very, very different. The king's cheeks were very rosy and full despite looking so tired. She waved at him with a small smile. It looked like the pregnancy news was not a hoax. 

"Good evening, His Majesty", she said, waving at him. 

\---------

Acerola performed a check on King Goh's magic flow using a special curse needle technique that allowed her to read the physical condition and magic flow condition of a magic user. She carefully placed the acupuncture needles on some points on his back and mumbled a spell incoherently. The end of the needles glowed with different colours, indicating where the flow of his magic was being distributed, where it was the weakest and where it was the strongest. 

She was careful to address him as Your highness as she spoke after her initial greeting so that the king's cover wouldn't be blown. 

"You won't be able to draw magic to cast spells for a while, Your Highness. It seems that your magic reservoir is flowing in three different paths instead of two. Congratulations, you're having twins", said Acerola. 

From the way the needles were glowing brighter in two different areas apart from the parasitic potion reservoir pool, she could tell the babies were big eaters as most of the magic that wasn't a part of the other half of his reservoir was condensed to them. 

"Don't give me any more headache…" Goh groaned. There were two of them and having one was bad enough. 

"And Honey Tree leaves won't be enough to sustain their growth. I will share some of my magical energy with you every morning to help you sustain them". 

"Thank you, Acerola. I'm sorry if this has been awkward for you", Goh apologized. 

"Well… I'm glad that I am not too late and I am happy that you're well, your highness but I'm not too sure what I should report to your father. I'm here to become your royal guard but it seems my mission has fallen short", explained Acerola. 

"Do you mind if I ask you to explain about why you're here?" asked Goh. 

"You see, your father sent me here to prevent this from happening and I would have to give him a report afterwards", said Acerola, "but I'm not saying that it's all bad. It would be cute to have children growing up in the castle. I'm sure that even if the interim king would be angry for a while, he would have a room to spare in his heart for his grandchildren". 

"Acerola, can you hide it from him? The fact that I'm pregnant".

"I don't think that's a good idea, your highness", said Acerola, tapping a finger on her chin. 

"Why?" 

"Because the Queen Mother planned to send a letter to His Royal Highness King Ikuo to share the joyful news. On a brighter note, she didn't know that you're having twins". 

"I didn't either but I did strangely feel worn out to the point of near fatigue". Fatigue is a condition when a magic user exhausted their magic until it became empty. It wasn't good for them because they would have to hibernate for some time to recover. In an extreme case, it would lead to death by hunger when the magician was in a state of comatose. To avoid hibernation, magicians learnt spells that allowed them to share magic energy with fatigued users to give them enough strength to keep them going. 

"We should just tell the interim king ourselves", suggested Acerola. "To avoid misunderstanding". 

Goh saw no way of avoiding it. Acerola was right. Telling his own family straight out of his own mouth would at least prepare his parents for the official letter that would be sent to them. 

"I guess I'd have to talk to them", Goh agreed to it albeit feeling anxious about it. "I'll write to them tonight". 

"There's no need for writing a letter, your highness. We can talk to them tonight with the crystal ball. I have one right here in my pouch", said Acerola, patting the pouch bag happily. 

She gleefully wondered how King Ikuo and his wife would react to the news


	31. A Small Remedy

An ideal parent would know when a child is lying. There were often traits that made it obvious that they were not telling the truth. From the tone of the voice, their action, there were always keys to hint at it. Even if they were separated by a crystal ball. 

His Royal Highness Ikuo had picked up over the years on how his son would be lying to him. For example, he would turn away as if paying attention to something else when he spoke about a topic to hide the fact that he was hiding something. 

Second, when he was caught off guard, he would shut his mouth and look away. Third, he would start to dismiss it as nothing serious and try to lighten the mood. Not that he won't make it obvious that he was upset about something with a saddened face. 

"I'm doing just fine, father", said Goh, trying not to worry His Royal Highness Ikuo, "I'll get out of this place as soon as I transform back". 

"What about the soul contract? General Hodge told me about how you are bonded to the Yadon King", asked Ikuo worriedly. 

"I'm still looking for a way to break it", Goh admitted. 

When King Ikuo first saw his female version, his father had been laughing at him, with tears in his eyes and had told him that maybe he should've gotten him a sister so that a mix up like this won't happen. Joking aside, he got into a serious mode as soon as the glee was gone and asked about the situation he was in right now. 

He had told the king some parts of the story, mainly how it all happened and had yet to get into the critical part. Goh felt his confession was stuck in his throat whenever he tried to breach the subject about his pregnancy. It felt so difficult. 

His father just suddenly stopped talking and looked at him square in the eyes. "What are you hiding?" Ikuo asked, his expression told him that he knew that Goh had yet to tell him everything. 

Goh fidgeted in his seat before admitting to it. "I don't want to scare you but I am pregnant". 

"I see", the king replied calmly. It was strange to see his father reacting to it in that manner. 

"I guess your mother would be happy to hear about it",said Ikuo. In his mind, he should've thought that this possibility could also happen. 

"Are you disappointed in what I've become?" asked Goh, shuffling his fingers nervously. 

"Don't kick yourself over it. I never thought of you as a disappointment. You can rule the kingdom the way you want it to be, be whatever you want to be. It's your time now, my son. And about this whole thing, I might be surprised but you are my pride and joy". 

Acerola blinked at the king's interaction with his son. She thought he had heard from Visquez about the interim king wanting to drill down some logical thinking into his son's head. Whatever he was doing was exactly the opposite of what he told them. He sounded harsh in the commissioners' meeting but looking at how he was coddling King Goh, the interim king had a soft heart when it came to his only child. 

"What we want to think about now was how to get you and the babies out from the harem safely", said Ikuo. Goh felt slightly better that his father was not angrily singling him out at what a freak show he was for ending up the way he was right now. 

"I think I will probably manage it once I have returned back to being a man. Escaping silently should not be a big issue". 

King Ikuo shook her head. "But what happens after you leave? You must not put your kingdom in jeopardy". 

Goh understood what Ikuo was implying. If he were to just disappear, they would think that Vermillion Kingdom had performed a breach of agreement. A proper planning of the escape must also include a reason that both sides could believe in so that there wasn't conflict. 

"I'm not sure what I should do", Goh admitted sadly. 

"We can discuss further on the plan later. We need a scenario that can help us create a diversion. In the meantime, focus on finding out how you can break the soul contract".

Goh nodded, agreeing to the suggestion. His Royal Highness Ikuo told him to take better care of himself and disappeared from the crystal ball. 

Goh felt relieved that he won't be doing everything alone anymore. There wasn't any negative reaction he was getting from Ikuo and so he felt slightly better to know that his own family would be accepting his current condition. 

There was also the fact that communication now would be easier between them and that they could make a real plan that would actually work for them all. He looked at Acerola, barely able to hide the sense of relief he was feeling, his eyes shining with hope. This time, Vermillion would surely come to take him back. 

\-----------

When His Royal Highness Ikuo saw his only son in the crystal ball, he couldn't help but to let out a deep, throaty belly laugh. It was ridiculous that he was looking at his son who had now been turned into a girl. "Look at what you have done to yourself", he wiped away the tears from the laughter as he tried to regain his composure. 

"It's good to see you again, father", Goh glared at him, apparently salty from being laughed at. 

"It's ridiculous. Tell me, how did you get yourself into this mess?" 

"I did not intend for it to happen. I am now in a female form thanks to High Magician Ren's potion", the king growled a little at the thought of the liquid that started the whole mess. 

"I should've gotten you a sister to avoid this mishap. Wish I wouldn't have to work so hard ruling a kingdom", and then Ikuo burst into a fit of laughter.

And so Goh continued to tell him about what really happened during his misadventures as Princess Gou. 

"What about the soul contract? General Hodge told me about how you are bonded to the Yadon King". Ikuo recalled the conversation he had had with Hodge during their visit. Goh turned his head away again before saying that he was working on it. 

Throughout the rest of the conversation, his son was fidgeting non-stop in his seat. He had something to say but he kept stopping to think about if he should bring the subject up or save it for another time.

"What are you hiding?"asked Ikuo, having enough of the fidgeting. 

"I don't want to scare you but I am pregnant". Goh was biting his lips nervously. His face looked troubled by the confession he had just made.

_ Seriously, this son of mine _ , thought Ikuo. At least he was being honest about getting into a physical relationship with the Yadon King.  _ I guess I am getting a grandchild now.  _

"I see. I guess your mother would be happy to hear about it", he answered, trying to sound neutral about the news. 

"Are you disappointed in what I've become?" 

It showed on Goh's face that he was scared and that this whole ordeal was taking a toll on his own self esteem. Ikuo carefully chose his words to sooth Goh's worry. 

After that they continued to make an initial discussion about what they could possibly do at the moment. When he ended the discussion and told his son to take better care of himself, Ikuo pondered over the best way to handle the escape. 

He was so deep in thought that it kept him awake half of the night. Kurune, his wife, stirred awake as he lied awake. She lit the candle with a gesture of her hand. 

"You're not sleeping?" she asked him sleepily. 

"I'm thinking about our son. We talked over the crystal ball", said Ikuo. 

"Oh. How is he doing in Yadon? Isn't he there for some business?" 

"He's pregnant", Ikuo decided to bluntly tell her about it. At first, Kurune snorted in disbelief but with how Ikuo was staring at the ceiling with a serious face, she let out a gasp instead. 

"You're not kidding?" 

"No".

"How did it happen?" 

"He slept with the Yadon King". 

"I mean,  **how** did it happen in detail?" 

And so he told her the actual truth that happened. Kurune intently listened while shaking her head at him. 

"He likes to make people worry about him", said Kurune, "but the way he tries to solve it on his own, that's a sign that he is growing up. Although, he should know when to seek help. And we're getting a grandchild! I never thought it would happen so fast! It's exciting but worrying!" 

"Now we need a working plan to get him out from the harem. The quicker we take him out from there, the easier we can do damage control".

"I'm sure we can get the commissioners to help out with the planning". 

"I'm planning to get only a small number of people involved in it. This should be a national secret", said Ikuo, then holding Kurune's hand. 

"From here onwards, we need to be mindful of the way we are treating him. I'm sure he went through a lot on his own. He doesn't seem to be in a good shape", said Ikuo, recalling the edgy responses he was getting from Goh. 

"... I'd like to talk to him", said Kurune. "I'm sure he would need a lot of support from me. When I was carrying him, it wasn't exactly easy. He was a fat baby, taking a lot of my energy just to grow inside but I want him to know, the pain would be worth it".

He was their bundle of joy, the only one the both of them had raised and already he was a handful.

"Do you remember when he used to cry a lot as a baby? He was always hungry and he wakes up easily if you make too much noise and the palace objects would be floating in the air because of his cries", Kurune laughed at the memory when she was taking care of Goh when he was a baby. Ah, how she missed the small coos he made when he was in a good mood. 

"Huh, now that I think about it, I hope the child inherits these traits".

"And his energetic personality. The baby should take that as well". 

The two chuckled before cuddling with each other. "Truth to be told, children grow up so fast. One time, they were so tiny and the next thing you know they became great people. Goh was such a talented boy as well. Remember the magic test?" said Ikuo. 

"Oh, all the wizards in the kingdom couldn't explain the expansive magic energy he had. We never have anyone with such a gift for centuries", said Kurune, remembering how the water in the glass overflowed until the floor was flooded with it. 

"It was amazing and they knew he would make a good king". 

"But I want him to remain a baby forever", said Kurune, sighing at the memory. "That's not possible, of course". 

They stared warmly at each other. 

"We both need to make him feel appreciated. Maybe that will help him a little knowing we are here for him", she grabbed Ikuo's hand and intertwined their hands together. 

Goh would be at ease to know that he had wonderful parents by his side. 

\----------

On the next day, Goh found himself sitting again at his desk, talking to both his mother and father while Acerola was sitting next to the door, guarding it to ensure nobody would enter the chamber while the king was talking to his parents. 

"Good morning, my dear", said Kurune, her eyes taking in Goh's female feature . What an adorable version of her son, she thought to herself. 

"Father, did you tell mother?" asked Goh. 

"Your father never keeps any secret from me", Kurune chuckled, "but I got curious and had to ask him to arrange this. How are you doing, honey?" 

"I'm feeling fine, I think", said Goh, "so you knew about the babies too?" 

"Babies?" Ikuo wiped his forehead and blinked, "you're telling me there are more? Not one?" 

"According to Acerola, it's a twin". 

"That's wonderful news, Goh. We rarely get a twin in our family line since it's very difficult to have more than one child and often it become a competition that one of them will become still born". 

"What do you mean it's difficult for our family line?" 

"How our magic goes down to the next generation is different compared to a normal magician. Normally, when a mother is pregnant, her magic would surround her fetus and the fetus would absorb some of the magic in a small amount. Then later on, they would develop their own magic reserve and it all depends on the gift they have. Some are better than the other. 

But in our case, the fetus will eat the mother's magic impartially. When I was pregnant with you, a few magicians had to lend their magical energy from time to time to sustain your growth. At the same time, I was eating a lot of magical recovery food everyday to help with your eating as well. If I wasn't assisted at that time, I'm sure I would have become a non magic. I guess the fear of becoming a non magic is so great that I didn't want a second child after that". 

"Does that mean when I was a baby, I already had a voluminous energy?" 

"You did. After that, you continued to develop magic reserves that you were able to pull off complicated spells easily", said Ikuo. 

"Did Acerola tell you anything else?" asked Kurune. 

"She said the babies are big eaters… Something like that". 

Kurune winced at the statement. "Can I have a word with Acerola?" 

At the mention of her name, Acerola approached the crystal ball. "You called me, Her Royal Highness?" 

"What did you see when you were checking on His Majesty?" 

"His magic is distributed into three paths. The bigger pool is held back by the sex transformation parasitic potion. The other two were equally divided but they were taking a lot in a day that the king had to use additional supplements like Honey Tree's leaves. I've also given him some of my magic reserve to keep him going".

"Half of Goh's magic reserve would be equivalent to the reserves of three royal blood magicians. You are saying they were taking all that?" asked Kurune. 

"Yes, Her Royal Highness". 

"Will you continue to help with supplying the king your magic?" asked Kurune. 

"Yes, Her Royal Highness". 

When Acerola returned to where she was before being called, Goh looked even more worried than before. 

"Am I going to have complications?" he asked. 

"We can't tell that for sure. Not all pregnancy is a failure, my dear ", Kurune reassured him. The proof of that was Goh. Despite all the issues that roused from bearing him, he came into the world as a fat healthy baby. 

"Maybe I could ask the royal healer to engage with you from time to time", she said. 

"Huh, but what if he went and yap to others about this?" asked Ikuo. 

"He is my distant cousin. I'll tell him to keep his mouth shut", said Kurune.

Goh suddenly teared up in front of them. 

"Eh? Honey, what's wrong?" asked Kurune. 

"I got emotional. I'm sorry. It just occurred to me that I might lose the babies". 

Both Ikuo and Kurune smiled sadly at him. Their boy was doing his best to cope with it. Giving him a word of encouragement , Kurune said, "Then you have to be strong for them. That way, they'll be strong for you too".

How long had it been since he could really smile? He felt his lips twitch upwards and he nodded. 

"I'll give it my best!" 


	32. Finding Chloe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was listening to into the unknown when I was writing this.

It had been three days since Chrysa and Yamper were walking around the city in search of Chloe. She had been asking vendors, describing to them how she looked like while Yamper tried to sniff around for Chloe's scent. After an all day out, they were still unable to pick up any scent or clues to find her whereabouts. 

The capital of Yadon was humongous and had no end. There were at least five shopping districts in the capital alone, each was divided by another ten divisions that ran a mile long. The shops in the line were always having visitors and it was always so loud that it was hard to speak to one another. 

She did go out to do her mission but she returned to the guest house with a few bags more. "I can't help it. They all look so nice, Yamper". 

"Yamper! Yamperhhh", the small companion barked and Chrysa gave it a bowl of food to eat.

On the next day, they tried again to search for Chloe. This time, they were venturing out in an area a little further than the capital city. There were a lot of farmers selling their produce and Chrysa stopped by to look at them. 

"They all look so fresh. Isn't it great, Yamper?" she turned to it but Yamper was gone from its spot. 

"Yamper?" Chrysa called for it but couldn't see the small dog pokemon anywhere. She walked further to search for yamper and when she saw it, Yamper was running around a lady with white hair. 

"I'm sorry!!!" Chrysa ran towards the lady to grab the said pokemon. She picked up Yamper that was struggling to get back down. 

"It's fine. It's a cute puppy", said the lady. 

"I'm sorry. I really am. I'm not sure what came over it", said Chrysa, apologizing to the lady. 

"Oh no. You shouldn't be", said the lady. 

"How can I make it up to you? You're so nice!" 

The lady chuckled: she was briefly entertained by an occurrence like this. Chrysa tittered - she hoped nothing really happened while she wasn't keeping an eye on Yamper. 

"I'm Lady Burnett. My house is not very far. Would you like to keep me company for teatime? You can repay me this way", Burnett said, offering her to join for tea.

"I would be glad to do that", Chrysa accepted her offer. "My name is Chrysa". 

"Then shall we?" 

Along the way to her house, Chrysa told her that she wasn't from around there and she was looking for someone. She didn't elaborate on the reasons but steered the conversation more towards Vermillion. 

"It sounds like a beautiful country. I've heard from my husband that just recently the Yadon King seemed to take a liking towards the Princess of Vermillion. He said the king is quite enchanted by her beauty and personality", said Lady Burnett. 

"Something like that happened?" 

"Young love. I was once there and couldn't help but to envy their passion. My husband is the Royal Guard for the king so he is often around His Majesty. He said there won't be a day that the king never mentioned about her". 

"That's… sweet I guess",at this point, Chrysa was careful not to reveal too much of her opinion. This person right in front of her had a relation with the king's subordinate. If she were not careful, it could lead to them being discovered. 

They arrived in front of a mansion so large that Chrysa was amazed at their wealth. 

"Please come in", Burnett's servant opened the door for them. They were in the hallway when a girl with light blond hair and white dress approached them. She looked at Chrysa curiously, wondering who the guest was. 

"Welcome home", she greeted Lady Burnett. "Welcome", she greeted Chrysa. 

"Oh, Sota is not with you today?" asked Burnett, often finding the two bantering at each other when Sota was not having his swords classes. 

"He went to the garden watering the plants. He said even if the General is not here, the plants need some caring", said Lillie. 

"He's a hardworking young man, that one", Burnett chuckled. Meanwhile Yamper was sniffing around and yapping at no one in particular. Chrysa tried to calm it down by rubbing its head. 

"Oh! Such a cutie!" Lillie cooed at it. 

"Would you like to pet it?" asked Chrysa but Lillie turned her down. 

"I… I'm a little afraid of them", said Lillie. 

Lillie excused herself and went to look for the piano score. She had been trying to learn some songs to play since Burnett had played the piano beautifully for them everyday. 

Meanwhile, Chrysa was led into a small tea room that was beautifully decorated. "We'll have our tea here but have a seat first. I am going to ask my servant to bring something out", said Burnett courteously. 

Once Lady Burnett left, she looked around the room and saw a tall picture of a man donning a Yadon armour standing by the meadow. 

_ It's just like in my dream…  _ the elf in her dream had shown her this image albeit more like a living picture.  _ Then, Chloe must be here.  _

"Yamper! Yamper! Yamper!" Chrysa struggled to hold Yamper back and it managed to loosen itself from her hug. It jumped across the room and ran outside. Chrysa followed Yamper and found it running to the back door. 

A boy, having hibiscus red hair and green eyes, walked into the house all messy and covered in dirt. Yamper wagged its tail in recognition of said boy while the boy looked at it with familiarity as well. 

Then he said, "Yamper? What are you doing here?" 

\------

When Chrysa was about to open her mouth to ask if the boy knew who Chloe was, Burnett appeared behind her. Chrysa yelped and massaged her chest to calm herself down. 

"I heard a bit of noise so I came back to check on it", explained Burnett. 

"Yamper ran off again so I was chasing after it", said Chrysa, explaining to her about the scene. 

"Oh, it's just curious, I bet", laughed Burnett. "Sota, can you help take care of Yamper while we have some tea?" 

"Sure, I can do that", Chloe said, picking up Yamper who seemed to suddenly become obedient. When it tried to lick the dirt of her face, Chloe scolded it. 

"No Yamper. It's dirty!" but her laughter rang in the hall as she went to the room where she was sharing with other boys. 

"They sound like they know each other for a long time", Burnett had never seen Sota looking so overflowing with happiness. 

"Uhuh", Chrysa agreed. The phrase the boy used struck her as familiar. She definitely had heard similar scoldings before. 

The two went inside the tearoom. "So how long had he been staying with you?" asked Chrysa. 

"We found them about five months back. He's been staying with us ever since and he would help with the garden or join the other children for sword fighting lessons and sync partners lessons. Sota is very talented in battling and crossing swords. He picks it up very quickly", explained Burnett. 

"Maybe that's why he is good with pokemon", Chrysa wondered out loud. 

"We tried to give him a pokemon but he said he already had one", Burnett said worriedly. 

"I'm sure he's just waiting for the right pokemon to come around", said Chrysa. 

The two continued to chit chat until it was almost night time. Chrysa, feeling a little worried to walk alone at night to the guest house, couldn't hide her anxiety. 

"Stay over. I can lend you my chemise", said Burnett. 

"Thank you", said Chrysa. Another reason why Burnett wanted her to stay over was because of how Sota had been playing with Yamper the whole day and he looked so happy to have it around. 

She was shown to the guest room and the servant brought her a change to wear. After cleaning up herself, Chrysa went inside the room to take a breather. Then she heard a soft thud on the wooden door. 

"Please come in", she said and Sota peeked from behind it. He stepped inside and closed it gently. Then, he looked up at her. 

"High Priestess Chrysa, may I have your time?" 

"H-How do you know my title?" asked Chrysa, arching a brow at him. 

"That's because I am Princess Chloe", said Chloe, revealing her identity to her. Chrysa gasped and walked over quickly to the princess. 

"No way. How come you are still a boy? You don't have an ounce of magic, your highness". 

"That's because the king's magic staff is hiding in me, keeping me in this form", said Chloe explaining it to her. 

"Now I understand why Yamper is agitated a lot today. It's because it followed your scent", said Chrysa, putting the event pieces together. "I'm so glad that I found you, your highness! Thanks to Yamper!" 

Chrysa pulled her into a tight hug. Chloe tapped her back to tell her to loosen up the hug. 

"Have you seen His Majesty?" asked Chloe after being released from the hug. 

"I have not yet seen him but maybe, we can meet up with Acerola later to find out from her". 

"Acerola is here?" 

"His Royal Highness dispatched the two of us for separate missions. Acerola will be guarding the king while I am given the task to find you. Where have you been, your highness?"

And so she told Chrysa of her side of her story. How she was captured by a slave trader, how she boarded the pirate ship and how she ended up at General Kukui's mansion. 

All the time she was listening, Chrysa was gaping her mouth. 

"Those are some terrible moments, your highness!" 

"Not as bad as the king, I suppose. He is in the royal harem doing Arceus knows what. The General promised to bring me to see him but then he left for war", said Chloe. 

"But it's not all bad", said Chloe. "I learn some swordmanship from Yadon's best teacher. Since you're here, will you help me pay for a katana that I want? I want to master it while I can still take classes", asked Chloe. 

"My princess… That's a bit not princess like…" 

"Oh come on, you know the King doesn't care much about what I want to do. It was just me trying to hold my ground as a princess. Katana is amazing so I plan to keep one around", she said. 

Chrysa broke into sweats at her declaration. It seemed like some parts of them would also change when they got back to their original form. 

"Alright, your highness. We'll get you the katana". 

\-------

Chrysa found herself walking with a dojo master named Kabu and Chloe who was carrying Yamper on her head while humming on the way to the capital. The whole way they were heading to the city, Kabu was giving lectures about choosing a katana. 

"When you choose your katana, Sota, you must feel the aura of the katana. If it chose you, you will be able to hear it". 

"Really? How do they sound?" asked Chloe. 

"It sounds different for each katana. Sometimes it's a thud, sometimes it's a clash and sometimes it breathes the will to take it in your heart", said Kabu. 

"I see. So it's not really talking-talking", said Chloe, taking in the advice given by her master. 

"What if it's really talking and cursed?" said Chrysa, trying to scare Chloe off with a possible paranormal activity. 

"Don't scare me like that, Chrysa", Chloe side eyed her and nudged Chrysa with her elbow. 

The first shop they went into, Chloe looked around to see which Katana will choose her. The floor of the shop was well polished and inside it, new katanas were being displayed and the reflection of the sunlight on the steel surface was blinding. 

"Feel the sword. Feel the sword", Chloe chanted to herself as she went around to look for a specific sword that would call out to her. After spending some time in the shop, they decided it was time to move on to the second one. 

The second store and the third store bore no result as well. Growing desperate, Chloe stood in the middle of the fourth store, widening her arm, breathing in and saying loudly, "Sword, choose me please!" 

She earned laughter from the people in the shop. They went out in embarrassment and moved on to the fifth one. The fifth store was the same and Chloe walked out from it empty handed. 

"I don't understand why they are not choosing me", she whined as they walked to find a restaurant. 

"This thing will require time and patience. It will come to you", said Kabu. 

" _ Hey, there, can you hear me calling? _ " 

"Were you saying something, Master Kabu?" asked Chloe. 

"I wasn't saying anything. Something the matter?" 

" _ If you walk into the alley, you will see an antique shop and I'm right here! _ " 

"If I…. Huh…." Chloe jogged away from the group, following the voice's instruction. Chrysa and Kabu exchanged worried glances and went after her. 

"An antique shop…" she said, amazed that she arrived at one after following the unknown voice. She walked into the shop, trying to find the voice again. 

" _ I'm on the wall _ ". 

She saw a katana mounted on a display hook on the wall. She felt like the voice was coming from it. 

_ Was I hallucinating?  _

She touched it and felt a strange energy crawling up on her fingertips like it was holding onto her. 

It was then when she was transported into another dimension. 


	33. A Worrying Situation

Chloe read some good number of literature pieces in her spare time. She might not be as obsessive as Goh was but when she found something she would like to read, she would indulge in the tales right before she went to sleep. 

A lot of the titles she tended to pick up were fantasy titles. Some stories would tell a tale of heroes or heroines being transported to another dimension. It was entertaining from a reader's perspective but she could never have guessed that the fantasy like scenario would happen to her. 

The poltergeist, she would like to think the stranger was that, was elegantly surreal. He was wearing a brocaded yukata but the seams of it were coming apart. He had a cloth around his head, orange like the sun and his dreadlock were tied in a bunch. 

The poltergeist was coasting the void space before settling at one position to talk to her. 

"Yo, I'm Raihan, the poltergeist of this katana. I can cut through anything and the most powerful katana out there". 

"…." 

"I can't believe you're a girl. I thought you were a male judging from your physical aura". 

"...." 

"Are you in that much shock until you are rendered speechless?" 

"What are you?" asked Chloe suddenly. 

Raihan coasted closer and enclosed his face to her eye level. "I just told you that I'm the poltergeist of this sword". 

"So Chrysa was right! A sword can really talk to me!" Chloe shrieked after remaining a statue for quite a bit. 

A poltergeist haunting a sword… it only happened in a fantasy tale, right? With Chloe being there, did that mean that she had ceased to exist in the human world? The questions bombarded her at the same time that it made her dizzy. 

"I don't feel good… " she whined, holding both sides of her head. 

When she looked down, she noticed that she was wearing a dress and reaching out to her hair, she could feel her braids that she had missed so much. 

It had been a while since she was back in her original form. It was enough to erase the worry she had of being in the void world. 

"I miss this", Chloe beamed and pirrouted around the black space, letting the skirts to caress her legs. Raihan followed her movements with his eyes, a small sense of happiness engulfed him to see Chloe being so happy. 

"You really are a girl. When you're in the spirit realm, you will take the shape of your soul. This is interesting". 

"So, were you the one calling out to me, Sir Raihan?" asked Chloe, changing the topic to address the mysterious encounter she was having. 

"I did. I could feel that you are a good candidate. You have quite a talent at using katanas although it felt like you have just learnt how to wield one and I am always right on the money but I least expected you to be a girl. How the time changes". 

He was in so much disbelief of her gender since technically, no girls were allowed to wield swords. It was deemed to be a taboo for women to hold such weapon in this timeline. 

"Ah, that's because currently I am stuck in a boy form due to circumstances". 

"Is that so? Why are you in such form?"

Chloe unravelled to him the secrets she kept. It gave Raihan a strong impression of her, with how she was handling the situation she was in. He concluded that she was a girl with a strong will and she would far exceed his previous masters if she was guided properly. 

Raihan then told her, "I told you my name now tell me yours". 

"I am Princess Chloe, daughter of King Cerise". 

"Hmmm. You are from a nobility line. Now that explains why I can feel a tiny amount of aura power in you. You are one of the descendants but from a branch family", said Raihan, grinning at his finding. 

"What's that?" asked Chloe. 

"I'll tell you the story about the great war against a witch that happened millions years ago but let's save it for some other time. Your friends are worried that you are staring at me for too long", said Raihan. 

"So, this is just in my mind?" 

"Yes". 

"Wait… Does that mean you chose me?" asked Chloe, unsure how she wanted to interpret the whole situation. 

"You can put it that way. I'll let you be my master. For centuries I can't be wielded properly by a man but maybe you can wield me". 

The void space melded back to the antique shop scene. The sword was still being displayed on the wall. She could hear Kabu shouting her alias in worry. 

"Sota? SOTA!" Kabu landed down a fist on her head. 

"Ouch!!!!" Chloe shouted in pain when the fist connected and she rubbed the hurting part. 

"What were you doing staring at that sword for too long?" asked Kabu, his concern apparent. 

"Oh, just, I thought I would like to have it since it looks kind of…. Scary and cool. One of a kind", Chloe replied, trying to find a suitable adjective to describe the sword she was seeing closely for the first time. 

The handle wrap was hopelessly decayed and there was some rust forming on the steel metal. The orange colour was also washing off with age. This sword was battered by time and had been better looking, that's for sure. 

"Are you sure?" asked Kabu. 

"It's the one that calls out to me so I am keeping it around", said Chloe. 

"I'll sell it cheap for you, boy", the shop owner interrupted them from the counter. 

"How much?" asked Kabu. 

"Two silver coins and it's all yours".

So they took the sword and Chloe held the weight in her hand. Despite the appearance, it felt so light and sturdy. The sheath was etched with the design of dragons. A little bit of polishing and renewing the colour would bring out the beautiful carvings. 

They walked to Chrysa's guest house, leaving Yamper with her. Before Chloe left with Kabu, Chrysa gave her a small sachet of gold for her to spend. 

At the mansion, before Kabu departed, he reminded Chloe of the next lesson. "You got your first katana. Then we will proceed to learn how to master it and care for it on the next lesson", said Kabu. 

Chloe held tight on her new mysterious katana. There was so much to learn from both Kabu and the sword poltergeist. 

"Alright master. I'll see you tomorrow". 

\------------

King Goh regularly kept in contact with his family in the course of two weeks. 

His Royal Highness Ikuo would communicate with them from time to time to update them on a possible escape plan. He got High Magician Ren to be involved and according to him, it was possible for him to open up a portal in Yadon, given that the area was having high density of magic as well to help support the portal. 

The only place that Goh knew with such magic concentration was The Cave of the Unheeding Boars where the Pallet Temple was located within it. He mentioned it to them and agreed that it should be where the portal should be opened at. Now that they had an escape method, they just needed a cover story to conceal the disappearance of the king without hurting their current alliance . 

Regarding the political situation they were in right then, Goh spent some of the time in the sessions reviewing it and with his father, he came to a conclusion to keep the alliance alive to their advantage until the day a situation would force them to rescind the directive . 

In the meantime, they would be working towards making a draft of how to grow into an empire. They were also keeping an eye on the border activities. The alliance they had with Yadon was actually discouraging the neighbouring kingdoms' plan to overtake Vermillion. 

Some of these sessions would also be a meeting between him and Vermillion court doctor to talk about his progress of the pregnancy. In regards to his health, it was clearly deteriorating but it didn't bother him. There were times he would get small fevers and there were times when depression would smother him but it was nothing beyond manageable. 

Two weeks went by and it just kept getting worse. 

Acerola tried to accommodate his demand however she could; like this morning, she was lucky enough to bargain a carton of Miltank Cheese from the valley of crusaders to help with his craving. When she brought it back, his mood had slightly improved. 

Acerola watched as the king chowed down the blocks of cheese in his palate, all the while tearing up at the blissful flavour he knew so well. He had been missing food from home - while the cooking in Yadon was great, nothing beats eating the food you had grown accustomed to. 

"I feel like I'm eating every hour. What am I going to do if I grow fat from this?" said the king, sobbing while eating away his cheese. He had a runny nose from the fever but it didn't dwindle his great appetite. 

"Your highness, one does not simply turn fat just from eating cheese for one day", said Acerola, trying to give a comforting take of his feast since this was clearly a sensitive time for him and those cheeses were actually good for him. 

He narrowed his eyes at her, irritated by what she had said. 

"Why aren't you calling me His Majesty?" 

When the king was displeased by small things, Acerola tried to explain to him the reasoning behind her action. She had to be careful or she would be unleashing his moody traps. 

"Please understand that we need to be careful in the harem, your highness". 

The king, in his pregnant state, had three types of moods. The first mood was doubt when he would start to ask sensitive questions. It could be about his body or his existence. 

The second mood would be depression where he wouldn't stop crying talking about his guilt, his lies and his unrequited love. Acerola was well aware by now that the king's feelings far exceeded the normal like. 

The third mood was when he became neutral to everything. When he was in this mood, he often spent his time researching for the ways to break the soul contract. In the course of his search, he did find some lead that talked about forbidden spells but usually it would end in a dead end for him where he would have to restart back from the beginning. 

Soon the cheese was gone from his palate and Goh sat against the headboard, burping at the amount of cheese he had just eaten.

"I've recovered more magic than eating the Honey Tree leaves, I am left feeling satisfied", said Goh in pure bliss. 

"Your highness, remember how the doctor said about getting into the right sitting position. You have to let the blood flow smoothly so your magic can flow with it", Acerola reminded him what the Vermillion court doctor had told him during their sessions. 

"Why are there a lot of restrictions ?" he whined but changed his seating position nonetheless. 

"Your babies will appreciate it, your highness", said Acerola, pulling the children cards on him. 

"You keep calling them babies, Acerola. I told you they have names. It's peanut and butter". 

_Why is he being unreasonable? His royal blood is really showing its true colors. He turns everything into an issue_. Acerola wanted to smack her forehead from the king's attitude that was not his usual self but she settled with just the eye roll.

Unknowingly, he went into the state of his second mood again where he would start tearing up and talking about why he should be coming out to King Ash about his crime. He felt like he had lied to Yadon Kingdom and degraded his human status to a worm. Acerola would have to come up to him and hugged him to keep him comforted. 

"Your highness, if they don't know, then the crime does not exist. Your father will think up something to hide everything", she would say to him every time. 

"I still love Ash though", said the king between his sniffs. The closer they were to making the escape, the frequency of Goh blurting out about his feelings for the Yadon King exponentially increased. 

Acerola was aware that the soul contract was starting to take a toll on the king. He easily became ill and there were a few times in the past few days he broke into small fevers that she had to watch over him closely. 

Distance and uncertainty always played a role in making the people in the contract felt extremely miserable due to some conditions being left unfulfilled. This could also mean the other party was also suffering from it too. 

A soul contract could also overcome distance and uncertainty but it came with a price. For now, the contract between King Goh and King Ash was still at an early stage and so it was still manageable. 

It usually took longer to create a stronger bond and they needed to have the same mutual feelings for them to develop to the next stage. 

_That's why we need to break it off cleanly before it's too late or it will drive them crazy but how can we do that?_ Acerola felt herself being taken over by distress thinking about it. 

She had seen in her house how soul contracts had led to deaths from despair or the involved becoming mentally ill once the soul contract became unbreakable. If it got to that point, no spells would be able to sever it. 

While she wanted to make haste, the knowledge to break it was extremely limited and the people who knew were usually hidden. She didn't have time to search for someone to help, especially in the current place she was at. 

"I'm feeling sleepy, Acerola. Let me take a short nap. If Serena comes, just let her know I'll see her after that", the king yawned, rubbing his swollen eyes, interrupting her train of thoughts. 

Acerola let the king go to sleep and put the blanket over him. She managed the temperature in the chamber before heading back to her post by the door. 

\------

Two and a half weeks went by and it was time for the two women to meet up. They had chosen a bar nearby to Chrysa's accommodation: the bar situated only a few meters away from the guest house. There weren't a lot of people visiting the bar that night and a bard was playing songs about the king's war. 

One of the song went as such:

_There was not a sabbath for the fallen,_

_And yet the flag and anthem hoisted in the field,_

_Fallen and dead but with all the glory,_

_I say we march till the end of this line,_

_We march till the end of this line,_

_Waiting for the victory and glory of a king!_

Chrysa and Acerola who were sitting in a corner raised the wine glasses to their lips and slowly sipped the liquid. They felt a slight burn in the throat but it was more than welcome by them.

"That's some spicy wine", said Acerola, "but the spices really calms you". 

"There's a lot of food to try around here. Great stuff", said Chrysa, sipping a bit more before putting down the glass. 

"So, how did it go with your search?"

"I found her", said Chrysa, avoiding the mention of Chloe's name. They were in a public area and it's better to be cautious. 

"And then? Is she with you now?" 

"No, you see, there is another problem". 

"Like?" asked Acerola, tilting her head to the left while shaking the glass lightly to even out the wine's spices from settling at the bottom of the glass. 

"She is living with one of the king's subordinates", said Chrysa in a whisper. 

"Oh, isn't that great?" 

"It's not all picture perfect. She got here through a number of troubling situations. And…. she is in a boy's form", Chysa placed a hand next to her face to whisper the last part. 

"What? So the potion is in effect? But how". 

"The king's staff is hiding inside her". 

"... Alright, let me get this straight. First, the king's staff is inside her so she is still a boy. Two, she is staying with a king's subordinate. How can we fix this?" 

"I don't know. I can't just take her away from the mansion without a plan. For now, I'll let her stay there until we have a solid plan". 

What a troubling situation they were in. The king was also having a whole other problem and the icing on the cake was Chloe's situation was not a favourable one for them too. 

"What about him?" asked Chrysa, awaiting for Acerola to tell her side of the story. 

"Hold on. Waitress, can you get us another glass of wine for the two of us?" asked Acerola. The waitress took her order and returned right after, serving them with two glasses of wine.

"Drink. You might need this", said the magician knight and Chrysa chugged the wine down, taking in the burning flavour and sighed. 

"It's spicy but still good",the high priestess commented. "Alright, tell me". 

"He is pregnant", said Acerola. 

Chrysa leaned forward to see if Acerola was lying but Acerola didn't show any sign of laughing after the joke. 

"You're serious?" 

"His parents knew and the whole harem too".

"How long?" 

"Four months and two weeks and a half as of today". 

"That's a long time!" 

Acerola mouthed the words "twins". 

"No way!" 

"Yes, it is. But we fear there might be complications so we need to be ready for when it is happening. The royalty is different when it comes to pregnancy". 

"I'm wondering if I'm not dreaming", Chrysa pinched her own cheeks to check if she was still awake. This mess just got a thousand times messier with the king carrying children. Even saying it in her mind sounded so strange. 

"We aren't, silly". Acerola laughed. "But I fear for the worse. These few days, he often got fevers. I'm not sure what's going on here". 

"Just keep your eyes on him. If it becomes too risky, I'll get involved". 

The two of them ordered a few more rounds after that to drown out the problems for the rest of the night. Sometimes, thinking about nothing but just listening to the bard's biased songs about Yadon greatness was the only thing they needed to move forward. 


	34. Bridging Boundaries

Ash felt his sight went blurry. It's been a few days since he was able to sit up without getting dizzy. To make matters worse, his chest would feel constricted as if something was telling him to return to the palace but they were so far away from the kingdom that it wasn't possible for him to fly back whenever he wanted to. 

They had won half of the kingdom's land and were now heading towards the capital of Saffron Kingdom. His victory was in the making but his headache kept coming around, causing them to lose some time to let him recover. 

"His Majesty, we'll be in the battle in the next hour. I've saddled your Rapidash", said General Kukui from the tent opening. 

"I'll be there in a minute", said Ash, rubbing his throbbing temples. 

"His Majesty, are you feeling alright?" asked General Kukui, his worry evident in his voice. 

"I just need some sleep", said Ash, resting his arm over his forehead to block the sun. 

"I can take over for today while you rest, His Majesty. You don't have to engage in the fight today", said Kukui. 

"Can you manage without me?" asked Ash. 

"I'm your sword and your shield, my liege. I'll clear the path to our victory", Kukui promised. Ash took the offer, allowing Kukui to cover for him that day. 

"Bring back to me good news", said the king and he heard Kukui's voice roared to command the rest of the soldiers to make haste into their positions. 

Falling asleep, Ash found himself drifting in between a hazy sight and black area. The black molecules started to take form into a blank canvas and when his sight was finally cleared out, he was standing in a blank space. Below him, he could see his reflection of his younger self - a six years old him was wearing his childhood daily yukata. 

"Where am I?" he asked out loud but it was only himself who could hear it. 

"Father, mother, where are you?" 

Ash looked around, searching for the voice that was shouting from afar. He broke into a small running pace, looking out for anyone in the veil of darkness. The voice kept repeating the calls and he followed it. Then, mist started to form around him and something started to grow from the blank space and as he walked further, the colour bleed to transform into a forest. 

"Father, mother, where are you?" the voice echoed. 

The forest was thicker as he went deeper and the sky was dark, indicating the setting to be at night. He felt like he was walking in someone's memory - a lot of the flowers he saw blooming along the way were not something he could find in Yadon.

When he heard a sniff from behind him, Ash turned on his heel and he was met by another boy around his age, wearing a costume that was never seen in his country and he was crying. Ash walked closer, wondering if he could actually talk to this boy. 

"H-Hey, don't cry because boys shouldn't cry", he tried to say something comforting. 

"Huh? Who told you that?" 

Ash gulped. So he can talk back to him. 

"My mum said that boys shouldn't cry". 

"Well, my mother said I can cry whenever I want. Leave me alone!" the boy snapped at him and continued to sob. Ash felt sympathetic of the other and wrapped his arm around him. 

"Don't be angry. I'm just trying to help. Sorry if I cross you", apologized Ash. 

"I want to go back home", said the boy, "but I got lost again in the forest and I don't know the way back". 

"Why don't I accompany you? Maybe we can find the way back to your house together", said Ash. 

"You will?" asked the boy, his crying stopped. Ash gestured a yes. 

"Then, I've decided. You'll be my friend for the rest of our journey home!" he pointed a finger at Ash. 

"You're weird", Ash chuckled and they held hands to ease the fear of walking in the forest. 

"What's your name?" asked the boy.

"My name is Ash Ketchum. How about you?" 

"My name is Goh. Nice to meet you!" Goh answered, cheering up from the crying he had done previously. 

"Gou? But you're a boy", Ash asked, wondering if his dream is messing up some details. 

"It's Goh, not Gou. I'm always a boy. You don't believe me? I can prove it to you", Goh tugged on his waistband to show Ash he was really a boy. 

"Ah, I'll take your words for it. You don't have to show me anything", Ash stopped him from doing what he was doing. 

"But I want to show you or you would think I am lying. I feel bad lying to people. It makes me feel like I did something terrible", confessed Goh. 

"Were you lying to someone?" asked Ash, wondering what brought this part of the conversation up. 

"I think I did. I think it was a really serious lie". 

"Then you should just be honest and apologize to the person you are lying to. Then it makes your heart feel better". 

"Really? But the person I'm lying to, I don't remember what he looks like though", said Goh, scratching his head, trying to think about the appearance of the person he had told his lies to. 

They continued talking and having a small chat between them. Apparently getting lost in the forest was a usual thing for Goh and he told him that usually, someone would find him and take him home. 

They arrived at a crossroad. "Which way should we take?" asked Ash, hoping that Goh would remember which way they should use. 

"I am not sure… Un…." then Goh started to bawl again. 

"Hey, don't cry. If you don't remember, it's fine. We'll sit here and figure out until you remember which way we should take", Ash patted Goh's head. The two of them sat on a rock and Goh leaned against him while sniffing. 

That was when he woke up feeling slightly refreshed. By the time he rose, it was already evening and Kukui had returned from the battlefield. Ash praised him for his hard work and joined the troop to give a speech to boost their morale for tomorrow. 

The dream? Oddly, it was stuck to him. 

\---------

Chloe spent a lot of her time refreshing the katana appearance after Kabu taught her how to refurbish it. She replaced the handle wrap with a new orange tie (Raihan insisted it to be orange for maximum efficiency) and polished the steel surface to make it look new again. She dabbed a piece of cotton with oil and patted it on the steel surface. 

Then she turned it around to see how it glistened under the ray of light. 

"I look great, right?" Raihan popped out behind her. A week after her purchase, she learnt that the link between them was two ways. She could enter the spirit realm and he could enter the human realm as a ghost. Now that she had a ghost haunting her everyday, she had to set some rules when Raihan was allowed to talk to her and when he should return to the sword. 

"Of course, I have to clean you up. There's no way I am turning up with you to classes looking like an old katana".

"Ouch, that's painful. How can you hurt one of the legendary swords in the world with your words?" Raihan replied. 

"One of the legendary swords? They are more?" 

"If you want to be able to use me to the fullest, you need to understand the history behind the legendary swords. I'll gladly teach you that". 

Chloe stopped what she was doing and sat to face Raihan who was drifting in the air sitting cross legged. 

"Alright, let's get on with the storytime. The story starts when a witch was born and she strayed from the path of the righteous and became evil. She put the world into an era of wintry darkness and people just dropped dead left and right from hunger, sickness and other reasons. 

So the legendary pokemons and mythical beasts gathered together to create a sword to take down the witch. There were four attempts in total to strike down the witch and four swords were created and gifted to four masters. The first sword was broken having lost in the battle, the second became a dark spot in history and I am their third and finest work", explained Raihan. 

"if you're the finest, why do they need to create the fourth one?" asked Chloe. 

"When it comes to lore, they only talk about the victorious win, so a failure like me, despite my handsome appearance and strength, will just sit back and watch the winner get all the glory. But yes, how can people win with just a try? Of course there should be trial and error. The witch is after all a very powerful witch". 

"But you said you can cut through anything. You should be able to defeat the witch". 

"Correct. I am the strongest katana in the world but I'm also wielded by a master who is an absolute airhead". 

"What happened?" asked Chloe, curious to know about the rest of the story. 

"One day, my original master who was given the task to take down the witch left me next to a rock while he went to the river to catch some fish and the witch used that opening to put a curse on me that any man that were to wield me, will die before the age of twenty. 

By the time he reached the age twenty, he passed away and ever since then, any man who wielded my katana will die before the age of twenty and there goes my glory". 

"Does that mean I am going to die too?" asked Chloe, feeling rather disturbed by the knowledge of the curse. 

"I'm not sure but my guess is you might survive the curse. It's a slim chance but we should see when the time comes". 

"You should've told me that sooner!" Chloe moaned angrily. "Now what am I going to do if I really died by then?" 

"Hey, we'll find a way to lift the curse, alright?" Raihan assured her when she swung the katana around to cut him.

"We better have a solution to your curse or I will haunt you!" 

"You can't haunt a poltergeist, Chloe", he burst out laughing and disappeared back into the katana. 

"Wait, you haven't told me about the other legendary swords!" she realized that he had only been talking about himself. Raihan shouted 'next time' before remaining perfectly still inside the sword. 

\---------

"So this is Yadon Kingdom". 

A foreign ship was entering into the border water of Yadon on a moonless, misty night three weeks after Acerola and Chrysa's arrival. The foreign ship brought bad news- it was carrying Galikali and six other assassins who were with him for the wealth he promised them.They were recruited from the black markets in Ecruteak and each one of them was an exceptional fighter. 

For months, he had been investigating Yadon kingdom's political structure and land structure. To enter Yadon that boasted its military might was not a walk in the park.

First, he found some rats who knew the secret waterways into the kingdom. Then, he found the ships that were often crossing the illegal entries. Third, they set out sailing on a specific day of the month so they would arrive in a night where ships were cloaked by the mist. 

It was a cold night and humid for the seven of them, six of them were men and one a woman . They were scattered on the ship away from each, awaiting for the ship to disembark at an isolated jetty where most pirates would make a stop at. 

A number of illegal ships were being anchored at the jetty they were approaching and when they were allowed to leave the ship, they left it to find a tavern. 

On the edge of the area, they found a two stories tavern, heavy scented with potatoes. It seemed like in the back of it, it housed a warehouse of such crops and with a clink from the doorbell, the group entered the noisy tavern. 

The tavern was occupied with pirates who had made a short stop for supplies on board. Pirate songs were loudly singing together and they found a rather isolated section from the scene to have their food. 

It was also the best place to gather information about the current situation of the kingdom since loud pirates would always speak over the noises in shouting manners. 

"This is the best time to enter the kingdom!" one of them said. 

"Aye, the king and a lot of his cavalry units are out for war and the border control is quite relaxed since they are mainly new faces". 

Galikali directed one of the men with him to approach the pirate. "See what else you can find", he said. His man took the task and stretched himself before mingling with the group of pirates. 

"Hello Fellas". 

"Aye, never see your face around here! New?" 

"That's a yes! I'm new so I don't know what's going on with the kingdom at the moment. Fellas, let me in on it". 

"You know the Yadon King aight?" 

"Never heard of him". 

"Aw man, he is a popular guy. Got a lot of wives that one. How can you never hear of him?!" 

"Really? Why did he marry all of them?"

"Huh, what else if not for that?"

"Wow he has that much energy huh?". 

"Naw, I think he's just stressed out. That king works a lot, day and nite. I heard he's planning to destroy something in govt but ain't sure of that". 

"Wow, some fiery guy huh?" 

"Fiery guy or not, we aim for their gold and their silver when they breaking! That's how we make riches!" 

"We let you in on something". 

"Aye, fellas,go on!" 

"We planning to burn the palace and take the women and treasures. King and soldiers not here, it's a great time to sweep!" 

"That sounds like a fine plan fellas! When ye guys aiming for those treasures?" 

"In a month, we all gunna be coming to this tavern and then we make 'em strategy and attack the palace! Whatcha think? You want to join us?" 

His man looked over and Galikali gave him a slight nod to agree with the plan. 

"Sure, fellas. I have some friends who can help with your treasure sweeping! I'll join ye fellas!" 

"Then we meet again in a month!" the pirates slapped his back, excited to have more people to join in their plan to rob tge treasuries. 

A month to prepare for the kidnapping was more than enough time for them and the pirates will become a fine diversion for them. In the midst of the chaos that would be created by the pirates, Galikali imagined taking the king, the source of his wealth, and he would bring him back to Ecruteak to claim the promised luxury. 

All for the gold and all for the glitter.


	35. Stranger in a Dream

Every night since the first dream, Ash would find himself returning to the same place where they would be waiting for Goh to remember the way to go back. It was like a repeat where Goh would be sitting on the rock, waiting for him. Every night, he would be told stories about magic and strange pokemons he had never seen in his life. 

Goh would explain the size and shape of each one of the pokemons he knew. When he talked about magic, he would often show him simple magic he could cast such as a fire formed like a pidove or water formed like a froakie. It was very entertaining to see magic manifested in front of him. 

When they were tired of talking, they would play games between themThey would chase each other around the area and tackle one another to the ground. They would climb trees and try to outdo each other who could reach the top first. He never felt so alive despite being in a dream. 

"You're a fun person, Goh!" Ash admitted, giving him the biggest grin as he pointed at Goh. 

"Me? I thought you're better. I like playing with you", said Goh. 

Sometimes, Goh would enter a state of trance where he would ponder out loud, "What am I doing here?" 

He always snapped out of it with, "But it doesn't matter. You're here and I like you so I can stay here forever!" He said it while pumping his hands in the air. 

"Forever is a long time. Why don't we play pebble throwing to pass the time? See who gets it the farthest", Ash picked up a pebble from the ground and Goh chose one for himself. 

"Alright, ready, set, throw!" but before they could decide who the winner was, the Yadon King was awakened from his slumber again. Pikachu was nestled next to him, still fast asleep. 

"Huh, I never get to see who won the match. Him or me?" 

"My liege, we are getting ready to take over the capital. I've had the helper lad polished your armour and sword", General Kukui peeked from outside of the king's tent to let the king know that he needed to be prepared for the final battle before they completely conquered Saffron Kingdom. 

It's been three months since they left Yadon for the campaign in Saffron and even the king didn't have time for a good shave that his facial hair had started to peppered his upper lips. 

"Come on buddy. We need to get ready". 

"Pika", Pikachu yawned and stretched on the camping mattress. 

He got dressed as soon as he was done with washing his face and prepared to leave for Saffron's capital. It was the last wall they needed to overcome before Saffron would be conquered. 

On his Rapidash with Pikachu on his shoulder, they marched to the capital wall and there, a few Saffron soldiers were aiming arrows at them. 

"Pikachu, use a hundred giga volt", said Ash and Pikachu jumped into the air, sending electrical energy to the archery line. It paralyzed some of the archers but not enough to kill them. When it returned, Ash gave it a pet, praising it for doing well. 

"We have come to infiltrate your queendom. Lower your gate and surrender peacefully!" Ash shouted from below. 

A queen appeared at one of the towers, looking out at the troops that had surrounded her capital. Out loud, she asked, "On what basis have you come to attack my queendom, King Ash from Yadon?" 

"I am here to build an empire so large to free all of the injustice that is present in the society. I want to build an ideal world", said Ash, telling her that at this point, nothing would stop him from pressing on. 

"What is this idealistic world you are talking about, King Ash? How does it concern my nation?" 

"Your nation is a wealthy nation and yet, there are still people who are suffering from the injustice that is being practiced in your queendom. I want to build a world where the poor would be helped by the rich and the rich would not use their power carelessly for amusement".

"And so is your kingdom, King Ash. Yadon is also scattered with filth as well, am I not right?" 

Ash did not get deterred by her words. He stood here to carry out his mission and he would see it through. 

"It is true that my kingdom is also suffering from it but I want to change that. As a king, I will not be able to carry out my goal but as an Emperor, I will be able to change the current ways we have to something better". 

"What a noble heart you have. Unfortunately, I disagree with surrendering without a fight". She commanded her troops to get ready to retaliate before seeking the exit. 

Ash turned to General Kukui and commanded him to force open the gate with a battering ram. The troops stepped aside to allow the battering ram to be sent forward and the archery team shot their arrows to aim at the remaining archers in the tower. 

Each line was alternated between the shielders and the archers. They took turns to block the arrows and fired from below in great synchronization. Such was the discipline of Yadon Kingdom's cavalry. 

The king watched as the ram was swung to bash the gate. Each swing created a dent onto it and after a few more, the wooden gate was smashed into pieces. When the gate was made open, Ash commanded the cavalry unit from the left to enter the capital. 

The battle happened from the front gate and slowly, they ascended to the castle. The Fire Palace of Saffron came into view and the king beamed at his incoming victory. 

"I hereby declare this nation as a part of Yadon Empire!" he decreed when the troops conquered an empty throne. The queen had made preparation to escape beforehand, leaving the throne empty for the taking but even without her in their confinement, a victory is still a victory. 

They hoisted the Yadon flag, a slowpoke emblem wavered to the wind movement. The first victory tasted so sweet and had concluded the start of a new empire. 

They chorused together. 

"Long Live the Emperor!" 

\--------

Chloe was at Kabu's dojo, standing underneath a tree to wait for a leaf to fall. Kabu told her that a good swordsman would be able to slit the falling leaf in half without even looking. She accepted her task that day with an open heart and mind. 

It was quite monotonous and she missed sparring with the bokens but Kabu had told her that a swordsman's progress should not be hindered by the thought of dull trainings. In fact, according to him, the dull ones were the ones that would increase her mastery of the sword. 

While the other children were still practicing basic swords skill, she already progressed ahead of them and was taking advanced lessons from the said master. 

_ Concentrate _ , she calmed and cleared her mind, listening to the wind blowing to shake the tree. A leaf fell from the branch and she could feel it getting closer. She struck, unsheathing the katana and aimed for it. 

When she opened her eyes, the leaf was still uncut. "What? I thought I got it this time!" 

Kabu, who had been watching from the corridor, told her, "Sota, you have to imagine the leaf coming at you. The disturbance in the wind will tell you where it is! Picture it in your head and you will see the leaf as if you have had your eyes wide open". 

Another presence was also watching her from the air. 

"Yeah, you need to imagine it, Sota - chan!" Raihan, swinging his arms to mock a backstroke in the air, moved about behind her.

Last night, they had been fighting about her slow technique mastery because of her incompetence to learn the small details and as a result, Chloe felt irritated by the obvious mockery made by Raihan today that had emanated from yesterday's fight. 

It wasn't that he was much of a help anyway. He had been having a lot of fun teasing her lately, grating on her nerves. Most of the time, he would be spending his time lazing and floating in the air on his back, just enjoying the sun and the moon whenever they did come out. When she asked if she was doing right, he would be telling her that she ought to know better since it was her body. 

She had her revenge - Chloe learnt that the sword was directly connected to Raihan. She gripped harder on the handle to punish the poltergeist and Raihan shrieked loudly in pain. "Ouch! Be careful when you're handling my body! Don't be a monster, Chloe!" 

It gave her a small satisfaction. 

When Kabu returned to teach the other children, Chloe directed her glare at Raihan. 

"Why aren't you helping me? How am I going to cut it if you're just going to play right there?" 

"Oh? You want me to help? Didn't you tell me yesterday you can master the cut on your own?" Raihan reminded her about the words she said when he told her about her incorrect posture. Raihan was only mad because she had let her ego to block his words from coming through. 

Realizing her mistake, she toned down her attitude. 

"Fine, I take it back. I don't know how to. Teach me", she admitted sadly. 

"Okay", Raihan replied shortly. 

"Okay?" 

"It means I'll help you". 

Raihan asked her to stand underneath the tree again. "Now, I'm going to teach you how to wield me the right way. I'm not a normal katana so it takes a bit more effort to utilize me". 

"What should I do?" 

"Close your eyes and focus. Try to feel the sword energy on your fingertips. Tell me when you can feel it". 

Chloe closed her eyes and focused on her fingers wrapped around the sword. She could hear her breathing cycle and the beating of her heart. Focusing on the sound, she could feel an odd heat being drawn out from her finger. 

"I think I feel something in my fingers", said Chloe. 

"Good. Now imagine the things you want to cut", said Raihan. "Strike when you feel right".

Chloe waited for a leaf to fall. She imagined the tree and imagined the wind blowing, breaking one of it from the branch. It lazily floated towards the ground. At that moment, she struck the target. 

She heard a sound of something crashing. Chloe opened her eyes and yelped when she saw the trunk being cut into half. 

"This is a simple mind concentration technique. It's called the absolute slash. There are more concentration techniques but if you do it well, you can cut anything", Raihan explained. 

Kabu ran outside to check on her and was surprised to see how his favourite tree was cleanly cut. 

"Sota, I told you to cut a leaf, not a tree", he scolded Chloe. 

"Tell him you cut the leaf", said Raihan, pointing down at her feet. There lied a split leaf and she picked it up. Grinning, she showed it to Kabu who was dumbfounded when he saw it. 

"I guess, you can take a break now", said Kabu, giving her a chance to cool off. Now he just needed to plant a new tree to replace it. 

\-------------

Ash was there again, at the rock they were always sitting on like many nights he had been there to play. Only this time, he wasn't there as a six years old but as a ten years old boy. He was still wearing the same yukata design except bigger to fit his size. 

On the rock, there sat a boy around his age who was sitting with his legs enclosed to his chest. In his hand, he was lighting a small fire and at a snap of his finger, he lighted it off again. Ash assumed that he was looking at the same person he had been meeting in his dream for the last few days. 

"Goh?" he asked the other. The boy turned his face towards him and his face turned slightly pink. 

"You're here again", he said. 

"Well, I told you I will accompany you until we find your house", said Ash, reminding Goh of his promise. 

"I still can't remember the way to go back home". 

"Then we'll wait here until you remember". 

Goh fiddled with his fingers and he looked at Ash a little awkwardly. "You know, I think this is a dream. I think this me is trying to tell you something". 

"What makes you say that?"

"Logically, Ash, I won't be stuck at one place for a long time if this is real but whenever you ask me do I remember my way back, what did I often tell you?" 

"That you don't remember?" 

"Exactly. That's what it is. If this is a dream, my real self must be suppressing his memory in order to stay here longer". 

"You're pretty smart. That makes a lot of sense. So basically, my form now is due to you being self aware?" 

Goh blinked and crossed over to Ash on his knees. "Wait, you knew this is a dream?" 

"Yup, I know it since the first day. I'm nearly nineteen this year so legitimately I am older than you right now". 

"I think we are about the same age", said Goh. "Because I am ten years old and you are also ten years old. We are mirroring each other".

"Huh, means what exactly?" 

"Means nothing. It means nothing important". 

Goh sat back on the rock and started a small fire with a flick of his finger. "Do we know each other in real life?" he asked Ash, trying to fit the puzzle pieces together. 

"I don't think I ever met you", said Ash, denying politely. 

"Somehow that makes me feel sad", Goh placed a hand over his own chest. He could feel a slight pang like it was telling him that he knew Ash well enough to feel hurt. 

"Maybe we passed by each other before?" 

"Where exactly can I pass by you when I'm from Vermillion?" Goh stopped in his tracks. "I'm from Vermillion! So that's where I live and this forest, it's from Vermillion!" 

"I know a girl from Vermillion. She has the same name as you. Princess Gou is her name". 

"Who's that?" Goh scoffed. "I know every royalty in Vermillion and I never met her". 

"Rude. Goh, you are starting to remember things!" Ash realized that and pointed it out to him.

"I am. I remember. Why am I remembering things?" he asked himself. This is quite intriguing. 

"You know what? Let's stay here until you remember what you want to tell me. I feel like it's not your house we are looking for but something that is within you", Ash suggested. 

"I agree. We should change the premise of our search", Goh said. He wondered what is this place he was waiting in and what exactly he needed to tell Ash in person?

"Hey, if you want, you can hold my hand. It might help you recall thing", said Ash, opening his palm in wait for Goh to accept it. 

The other made a move to intertwine his own when he was being stirred awake again. "His Majesty, it's almost time for your opening speech. Then, you will meet with your new generals for introduction", Clemont shook Ash's by his shoulder. 

"Mmright. Gimme ten minutes. I just need to hold someone's hand". 

"You can hold hands with whomever after you're done with your speech. Please leave the bed so we won't be late. First impression is important for a new regime". Clemont pulled him out from his bed, dragging the king to the bath house in the Saffron's fire palace. 

"Aww, just lemme sleep. I want to share some of my happiness", whined Ash but let himself be led around. 


	36. Deeper Into The Rabbit Hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Down, down the rabbit goes 🐰

Acerola checked the king's temperature with the back of her hand. It had been a week and a half since he was really sickly and couldn't move out of the bed. He was breaking into cold sweats and they had to send a slave to carry clean water and bring in new towels to wipe his face. 

She would wake him up to have something to eat and supplied her magic more often since he wasn't eating properly. 

When Serena came to visit, she brought along the royal doctor to check on him and the babies. The doctor gave some medicinal herbs to help with his appetite and Acerola was following the instruction closely when she prepared the medicine. 

When it was time to have his medicine again, she woke him up gently and helped to feed him the herbs mix. She added some honey tree leaves to help with the magic recovery as well. 

"Acerola, am I going to die?" asked King Goh after eating the medicine. 

"Dying is not a topic we should be discussing right now, your highness", said Acerola. 

Truth to be told, the king looked as if he was hitting his limit. Ashen faced, Goh pulled the blanket closer to his chin, bracing the waves of heat. Everything hurt and everything sagged. He had never experienced such intense fever since he had always been a healthy child. He made another round of throaty coughs. 

"They're really absorbing whatever remaining of me. I don't think I can sustain them much longer", said Goh, panting heavily as he felt his temperature rising again. His voice rasped from the lack of water. 

Acerola poured a glass of water and helped him to take a sip. 

"His Majesty, if I bring Chrysa in to be an additional support, would you be fine with it?". 

"Anything if it helps", Goh said. He cannot remain to be this weak or he might not make it. 

That night, Acerola went out from the palace grounds after sharing some of her magic with the king. She told Lord Raboot to wait by the window and let them in when she gave him a signal. 

She wore a cloak and ran through the night, clamping her fingers around the fabric as she dashed through the darkness with her agile body, avoiding the street lanterns to mask her movement. 

She was getting closer to the guest house when a small knife flew right in front of her, in which she pulled her needles and countered its force to deflect it. She looked around, finding the source of it and when another knife was thrown at her which she barely dodged, she chanted a curse on her needle and threw it at the impalement artist. 

"Curse binding", she said and her magic became strings that would capture the thrower but she only got a piece of fabric off from the person. "Who are you?" she quickly went after them. 

"Send our regards to King Goh", the person, from his voice confirmed that it was a man, waved in the dark and made himself disappear into the darkness. 

"A threat?" Was somebody aiming for the king? How did they know of his whereabouts? Seeing that it would be pointless to continue with the chase, she ran towards her original destination. 

When she arrived at Chrysa's place, she made her presence known. "Chrysa!" she banged on the door and the high priestess opened it. 

"It's late in the night, Acerola", Chrysa yawned. 

"We're on assignment. So, I can very well come here unnotified". 

"Yeah, why are you here at such a late hour?" 

"The king, he is in a critical condition. You have to help me transfer some of your magic. He is really struggling". 

It didn't take much to get Chrysa to dress into her mission outfit. It was all black and she put a cloak over her head and covered her face with a mask of a goblin. 

"It's always scary to see you in that get up", said Acerola. 

"It keeps my identity a secret", said Chrysa. She went out through the window and casted a spell to summon a dream goblin that would latch on her head, boosting her stamina as she followed Acerola who was naturally agile to the palace. 

Acerola and Chrysa carefully snuck around the palace ground, avoiding the guards and made it safely inside the king's chamber with Raboot's help. It sat by the king's bedside, anxious of his health just like all of them. 

Chrysa, after a long time not having seen the king, moved forward and swept his hair aside. She could feel her eyes becoming watery- her king was critically ill and it pained her to see the once energetic king reduced to being bedridden. She remembered how in her dream a few months ago that predicted the king would return as a broken man. It was slowly coming together. 

"Acerola, help me turn him sideways. Lift his chemise up". 

Acerola did as she was told. "I'm going to enter a state of daze. Keep his chemise up until I am done". 

Chrysa sang a song of the Moon elf. Moon Elf magic is a dream type magic that allowed her to communicate with a summoned moon elf to unearth the secret of a person. 

A moon elf appeared on the other side of the king's bed and she hugged him tight, linking herself to him to gather physical information. The only downside is the elf will only reveal what it wants to reveal. 

"Moon elf, tell me what causes the king to be ill?" 

"This child holds a lot of secrets but what he holds dear the most, he grips onto it eventhough he knew the end would be near to him if he does so. He is so, so sad. I can feel his sorrow and guilt", said the elf, caressing Goh's cheeks. 

"What is he holding onto?" 

"It's not a question of what, it's a question of why but his secret is safe with me. His plea shall not be disregarded".

The king's plea was a plea through his subconscious. It didn't mean the king was aware of it. 

"You won't tell me elf?" asked Chrysa. 

"How can I hurt a mother to a special child?" the moon elf laughed and disappeared. 

Chrysa snapped out of her daze and looked at Acerola. "That old woman is being really secretive today but according to her, the king is in grave sorrow". 

"Is there anything we can do about it?" asked Acerola. 

"There is a magic that would allow me to enter the king's dream. If we could find some clues in his dream, then we might be able to understand better what he was grieving about. However, I would come back tomorrow to perform it as it required some additional preparation". 

"We'll see what we can do". 

Before she left, she shared some of her magic energy with the king to let him feel slightly better. When the king's breathing even out, all of them relaxed and Chrysa snuck out from the harem palace.

\--------

_ "Daisies oh daisies in the field of flower, Roses oh roses in the bed of the asleep, _

_ A crown I made, a crown I made,  _

_ For a safe journey, for a safe return,  _

_ I pray _ ". 

Chrysa bathed herself in a bath filled with petals, of daisies and roses. She scooped a handful of water and poured it on her skin delicately as she sang away her spells. 

The light of the dawn peers through the window, soaking the bath with the colour of the setting sun. 

When the veil of the night had fallen onto the capital, she waited until the streets were empty before making her way to the harem palace. She had memorized the layout from yesterday and when she arrived, Acerola quickly let her in. 

"Raab raab". (He's still looking sick but this morning he managed to eat a bit more)

"That's great. Before we proceed, I'll give him a bit of my magic", said Chrysa, sharing a good amount of her magic with the king. 

Then, she told Acerola to supply her magic while she was performing the spell she told her yesterday. Lord Raboot was instructed to keep the king comfortable while she was performing the magic. 

"He mustn't wake up", she reminded Raboot. Raboot nodded and diligently watched for any sign of discomfort. 

She put her hand on the king's shoulder and read the spell. "Dream Gate", she said, "let me in". 

A white flash filled her sight and when she came to, she was engulfed in the darkness. Everywhere she could see, there was only void space. Here was where she often communicated with dream spirits such as the dream elven, the moon elf and the dream goblin - three out of the six spirits she was able to communicate with. 

Apart from divinity, which was the common way dream magic was utilized, advanced users such as Chrysa were able to summon dream spirits. There were two tiers of dream spirits: Lower tier and higher tier. 

Dream Elven, moon elf and Dream Goblin were lower tier summons - they could be summoned without exhausting magical energy. The other three spirits were higher tier summons of dream magic. They used up a lot of magic energy and required preparations before summoning them. 

Chrysa began to sing, "

_ Oh thunder, oh thunder of dreams, between the mountains and beyond the sky,  _

_ Spreading its wings far, far into the night,  _

_ It fly, it fly and it fly _

_ ".  _

Thunder crackled and the void black space was outlined with lightning strikes. Chrysa could feel the energy inflanctuating in the surrounding. Something in the dark flew at the speed of light, leaving a trail of luminescence blue between the perennial lightning. 

Then in front of her, a giant being morphed from the darkness, his eyes glowing in blue. 

"You have summoned my dream self, human", it said. 

"Zekrom, you are a mighty pokemon and I need your power". 

"For what purpose should I lend my power to you?" 

"To save a friend".

"Human, your magic can only utilize a miniscule of my greatness and my greatness will corrupt a part of your soul. Is it worth the loss?" 

"It is if it means that the person could be saved". 

"Very well". Zekrom disintegrated into small shining blue particles. " Take my armour and spear if you wish". 

The armour fit right onto Chrysa's figure, shining in blue and the spear, the weight was just right in her grip. Chrysa pointed the spear to the void space and swiped it to the right. 

A small tear opened up in the void and she kicked her feet from the floor and jumped into the hole she had just created. This was the method of dream travelling that allowed her to enter another person's dream. 

With Zekrom armour and spear, Chrysa searched for Goh's dream. At her third try, she entered another layer of dream and she hoped that she was in the right place. 

She looked around her and studied the trees and the pokemons that were appearing on the dream. When she saw a Galarian Rapidash and the tip of the Vermillion castle's tower, they became a clue that she might be in the king's dream. 

The more she walked, the more she was confident that she had arrived. 

"This is it. I'm at the Vermillion's castle backyard forest". 

\----

Goh couldn't stop himself from staring at Ash today. He just felt like everytime their eyes met, unexplainable warmth enveloped him. It was comforting to see the same face everyday and for some reason, he just grew fonder of the other. 

"You're looking at me a lot. I'm embarrassed ", said Ash but he was doing the same thing despite his comment. 

"I don't know. I just miss you a lot". 

"I'm right here and you miss me a lot? Weird". 

"I don't know, alright? Don't terrorize my feelings!" 

Ash grinned giddily despite the fact he was getting a scolding. "It's not a bad thing though. I'm pretty sure that my heart belongs to Princess Gou but somehow, you fall right in. Why, I wonder?" 

"What does that mean?" 

"Who knows?" 

Goh punched him on his shoulder playfully and the two started to tackle each other to the ground. 

"I'm going to win today. Just watch me!" Goh cried as he attempted to dodge Ash's tickling finger motions and laughed when he was assaulted with it. 

"I am a warrior in battlefields. There's no way you can beat me easily!" Ash commented jokingly. They continued to try to land an attack on each other until they were tired from it. Goh leaned closer to Ash's chest, feeling the rising when Ash was breathing. 

It was moments like this that Goh felt his chest tightened, like something was telling him that forever was a short span. 

"Hey, what if someday I was just gone? Would you miss me?" he asked Ash who was still catching his breath. 

"Don't say things like that. Stay here until you remember what you want to tell me". 

**_Stay_ ** was a word that sounded so familiar. 

"Why do I feel like you've told me this before?" 

"Meaning?" 

"You know, like when you're asking me to stay. I feel like you've said it before", said Goh. 

"Maybe I said it in our previous meetings? Who knows?" 

Goh wanted to argue that it was the intention behind those words that he said that gave him the deja vu feeling but he felt like there were better things besides arguing about it. 

Like now, he would like to stay close like this for a while and made no move to get off from the other. It was just them, listening to each other's heartbeats. 

For Ash, he felt extremely comfortable despite having full awareness of his real self. He slightly wondered if this would be considered as having an affair but it was just a dream and he couldn't feel any guilt from it. 

And so he allowed himself to pamper Goh and coddled him and played with him in their nightly meetings. 

"I'm still wondering why I'm here", said Goh, mumbling against Ash's yukata fabric. He wondered if he would ever become self aware of his real self. 

_ Am I hiding?  _

"King Goh". A woman's voice called for him from his back. 

Goh pushed himself into a sitting position and turned to see her. 

"Chrysa?" he asked. 

Chrysa had found the two of them sitting by a crossroad in such positions. When she saw the other boy with him, she finally understood what the Moon elf meant by the king holding a tight grip on something he didn't want to let go. 

This dream was a dream created by Goh to keep hold onto his bond with the Yadon King. The soul contract was short of becoming inextinguishable. 

She understood now why the king was suffering physically - he was the only one sustaining the soul contract that kept getting stronger and to make matters worse, he was already giving his magic to his unborn children. 

"That's right, His Majesty. We need to return to the castle now". It was now or never. She had to separate them. 

"But I still have things to do. I can't go back", said Goh, looking troubled by the demand she was making. Ash had sat up, still quite attached to Goh whom he now learnt was a king. 

"You can't stay with him, His Majesty. You are reinforcing the soul contract. Please, we can't have it become unbreakable". 

"No! I want to stay here with him!" Goh shouted and wrapped both of his arms and legs on Ash, shutting his eyes tightly as he tried to wish for Chrysa to be gone. 

"His Majesty, please! Let's go back to the castle!" 

Ash was confused by the terms they were using. Soul contract? He wasn't particularly interested in it but he kept a note on it. 

For now, shrugging it off, he set his eyes on Chrysa in a threatening manner. He returned the embrace and felt protective when Goh was quivering like he feared for this to happen. 

"I'm sorry but I think he should stay here with me", Ash replied darkly. Until Goh remembered, he had made a promise he would wait here.

"You don't understand what you're talking about", Chrysa retorted. "His life is in danger because of you!" 

"That's not possible because this is just a dream", Ash said while patting Goh's head to let him know that he would always be right here. 

"His Majesty!" 

"LEAVE!" Goh bellowed and Chrysa found herself back into the void. The armour disappeared and losing the strength to stand, she was on her knees, despair filling her heart. 

And when she was back to the realm of the awake, she couldn't hold the grief anymore and fell into a dishevelled heap on the floor as her tears tore through her chest. 

Acerola joined to sit next to her and pulled her into an embrace to listen to her grief. 

"We can't save him, Acerola! They'recin the third stage of the soul contract, short from being unbreakable!" Chrysa confessed, inhaling erratically in between her sobs. 

"Tell me what you saw". 

"The moon elf, she told me that His Majesty is holding tight onto something he held dear even if it will cost him his life. I went inside his dream. I went and I saw it with my own eyes just how much he wanted to remain with the king of this kingdom". 

"I don't understand…"

"He created a dream bridge in his subconscious just to accommodate the soul contract. I told him, he needs to leave or he would make it stronger. To make matters worse, he is the only one maintaining the magic side of it. He will enter a state of comatose if we don't do anything!" 

"We have to talk to His Royal Highness about this", said Acerola. 

"What use is it if the timeframe is so narrow? We're losing him, Acerola! He kicked me out just so that he will be there until he ends himself".

"We have to find someone who can severe it while we can still do it". 

Acerola who had been working for the royalty for a long time couldn't help but grew fonder of the family. The thought of losing the king cut deeply. 

"I have something to say too", she said. 

Chrysa wiped her tears away with her sleeves. 

"You see, last night, I was attacked by a strange man. He knew the king is in here", said Acerola. 

"There's an outside threat?" 

"It's possible. Now is not the time for us to be weak hearted. After all, we have our king to protect until we get back home", she said. 

Chrysa couldn't help but to agree with Acerola. They needed to stand up and set their heart aside as they grasped the small hope they would get back home safely. 

"You're right. Starting tomorrow, get me into the harem as a helper. I will be here to continue supplying him with the magic that he needs. Right now, keeping our king safe is a priority". 

Acerola knew there was no other way besides this. There, perched right next to the king was also his loyal subordinate, Raboot. It, having listened to the conversation, had its eyes settled on the king. Its paw unconsciously reached out for the king's hairline. 

"Raab raab". (Goh, if you can hear me, snap out of it)


	37. The News

The Fire Palace of Saffron Kingdom was divided into four sections. The throne hall and the gathering room was located in the center. Surrounding it was a garden with open air bath house, the royal suites and a library so large that it became the center for scholars. Clemont had visited it to check the place and had described to Ash the impressive size of the library. 

"It's so large and you can walk for hours and will never be short of things to read! Imagine the amount of research I can make! For my innovations!" Clemont excitedly told him, gesturing the endless walk through knowledge he had experienced. 

They were sitting in the garden, having their breakfast ready there. Pikachu was exploring the area, chasing after the dustox it had made friends with. 

Ash chuckled . He knew someone who would appreciate the library back in the harem. Maybe, after he was done with the business here, he would bring her to see the library. He was sure she would love it. 

Speaking of which, there was something else that was bothering him. Clemont noticed the strange mood King Ash was in where he was quieter than usual. 

"I had a strange dream last night", Ash confessed after putting down the porcelain cup. 

"His Majesty is troubled by a dream, huh?" 

"I am. We've met King Goh before, correct?" asked Ash, recalling the ceremony and the alliance agreement stamping. 

King Goh, in his memory, didn't look anywhere like the boy he met. If he had to compare, the closest one in terms of look was Princess Gou herself. 

"We did. What of it, His Majesty?" 

"I met King Goh in my dream but he looks so different. If I have to describe him, he looks just like Princess Gou except with a male build and he is young and if his theory is right, then should be around my age", said Ash, describing the boy he met. 

"His Majesty, it's just a dream. Our mind can do tricks and change things accordingly to what we deem comfortable", Clemont told him, erasing his worry. The mind of a person was a complex matter beyond the grasp of even the scholars who specialized in the subject. 

"It felt so real despite being a dream and King Goh? He asked me really odd questions", said Ash. 

Clemont pushed his glasses and took a seat on the bench. Ash was clearly affected by the dream and as an advisor, he was willing to listen. "What kind of questions did he ask?" 

"He asked me if he was gone, what would I do about it? And would I be angry if he became truthful? He told me he was lying to someone before and that he felt guilty when he was looking at me. I just thought that maybe I'm the person he was lying to". 

"We need to call for dream interpreters to find the meaning behind it".

"But I only found out that he's King Goh last night because a woman came and tried to separate us. She said something about a soul contract but I have no idea what she's talking about". 

Clemont rubbed his chin, engrossed in the king's explanation. "I think I've heard it somewhere, soul contract. If we ask the scholars here, we might be able to understand it better". 

"It's a real thing?" Ash looked at him, dumbfounded. 

"It's a  **very** real thing, His Majesty", Clemont nodded. 

So, Clemont gathered all the scholars in the library in the throne hall where Ash was seated atop the throne designed like a Talonflame. The scholars bowed to their new ruler and waited for Clemont to explain the summon. 

"We would like to ask questions about Soul Contract. Do you know anything about it?" said Clemont, explaining the objective of the meeting. 

Some of the scholars gasped at the topic asked. 

"This topic is related to magic, Your Excellency. We knew of it but we hardly conversed about it in the Fire Palace due to the previous Queen hating on magic users", explained one of the old scholars. 

"The ban is lifted in my regime", said Ash. 

"Very well, Your Excellency. A soul contract is a taboo originated from the Kingdom of Vermillion, now I believe ruled by a young king that goes by the name King Goh. This taboo was a marriage taboo. Magicians in Vermillion treasured their first kiss as the first kiss always resulted in the forming of a bond with the intended which they called a Soul Contract".

"Does it only happen only for married people?" 

"Kisses generally are only reserved once a magician is wed due to the taboo, Your Excellency", said the scholar. 

"What can it do?" asked Ash. 

"It links the two people. A soul contract has four stages. The first stage was when it first formed. It was brittle and thin but as the feelings of the two people became stronger, it entered the second stage which they called it as chaining stage. It was just an increase of the bond strength but not too strong. 

Often when they were challenged by proximity, then the third stage would form, which they would call it as the sealing phase. Often I heard it would be done in a dream realm but I am not sure of it. 

Once the sealing phase was completed, then the bond would mature into the fourth phase which was a permanent bond. At this stage, the bond would be unbreakable and could be a permanent risk to the magician and the intended ". 

"A dream realm… What is the risk of a permanent bond?" 

"I am not saying the risk is only happening at the final stage, Your Excellency. Since the forming of the soul contract, the bond needed to be sated or they would go into depressions that can lead to death. Then if they lost one another, the other one who was alive would also die. Soul contract is a dangerous taboo and if it became unbreakable, there was only death". 

"And are all of these due to magic?" 

"Yes, Your Excellency". 

That night, Ash spent a sleepless night thinking about what he had just heard from the scholars. He didn't get to sleep until morning came when he was brought once again to the garden for breakfast. 

They were eating when a knight, wearing a full armour as if he had just arrived from a battle scene, approached them. He was wearing Yadon's emblem and was holding a scroll in his hand. 

"His Majesty, I am a messenger sent by the queen. I carry with me the letter she wants you to receive", the messenger said, giving the king the scroll. 

The king took the butter knife and cut the binding. He unrolled the letter and read the content. 

"Princess Gou is pregnant, according to mum", he told Clemont. 

"Congratulations, His Majesty". 

"But her condition has worsened ever since and they fear she might not make it", Ash read the same line over and over again. The royal doctor wasn't able to curb the illness. The queen mother requested that the king should prepare himself mentally. 

"Clemont, get my Rapidash ready. I'm riding back to Yadon right this afternoon", he told Clemont, leaving his breakfast in a hurry to change into his riding outfit. He wasted no time to go back to the kingdom - his mind could only think about the news. 

Clemont, without a moment of hesitation, went to the stable to tell the stable lad to mount the Rapidash. 

\--------

Chloe wore the katana around her waist, checking the belt to ensure she tightened it properly. She was heading into the capital to meet with Acelora and Chrysa. The last time she saw Chrysa was about a month ago. They wanted to speak to her about something that she should know. 

The way they spoke about the matter when they briefly wrote in a letter felt like they were holding back a depressing message. It made her anxious and her anxiety could be felt by Raihan. 

"You are worried", Raihan stated in a matter of fact manner. 

"Thank you, Captain Obvious". 

"You're welcome. Where are we going?" 

"To meet Chrysa and Acerola. They want to talk to me about something", said Chloe. When she opened the door, about to leave the bedroom, Lillie was standing in front of the doorway. 

"What do we have here?" Chloe asked. 

"Are you going somewhere, Sota? I need help with the tools in the garden". 

"I'll do it when I get back. I'm going to the capital". 

"Are you going there to meet with that lady?" asked Lillie. 

"Yes. She wants to talk to me about something". 

Lillie wasn't moving away from the entrance. Chloe tried to squeeze between the remaining space but Lillie immediately blocked her exit. 

"I want to leave the bedroom, Lillie. Can you kindly let me out?"

"She's an old lady! What's so good about her?" 

_ HERE WE GO AGAIN!  _ Chloe mentally shouted. Lillie was obviously crushing on this form of hers and her jealousy started to become more apparent. 

"I'm not going there to flirt with an old lady. She just wants to tell me something important, that's all". 

"Promise me you won't be doing that", said Lillie, turning away with a hmph as she allowed Chloe to move. 

"Huh, not that I'm bound to anyone to promise that", Chloe stuck her tongue and ran when Lillie chased her. 

_ So obvious but it's better to turn her away now.  _

She quickly left the mansion and broke into a sprint before Lillie managed to catch up to her. The perk of having a boy body was she could use all the excessive energy and would still have enough to do other things later on. 

The capital was a few miles away from the mansion and when she started to see the crowd and the buildings, she searched for the shop that Acerola was talking about nearby the city square. 

When she smelled funnel cakes, she followed it and found the small shop's entrance. She looked around and saw Acerola and Chrysa waiting for her by the window seat. 

"Acerola, Chrysa, it's been a while", she said, taking the empty seat. When the waitress came, she ordered herself some funnel cakes since it had been a while since she had had some. It smelt like home and it was a cosy shop decorated just like the decoration they had back in Vermillion.

"Princess Chloe, forgive my rudeness if I drop the formality after this", said Chrysa, apologizing beforehand since they were in a common area. Her hearing caught a small sound but the shop was noisy and it could be from the visitors around them. 

"It's fine. I've been talking like a normal citizen for a while now, I don't even mind it". 

"Then, just Chloe should be fine". 

They waited for their order to arrive as they talked about the food in the cafe. Once the funnel cakes were served, Chloe cut a good size piece and ate with delight. 

"It's different but it's nice", said Chloe. 

"Isn't it?" asked Acerola. 

"So, what is it that you want to tell me?" asked Chloe. 

"It's regarding the king", said Chrysa. "He is critically ill right now". 

"Goh is?" asked Chloe, narrowing her eyes at them. How did it end up like this ? 

"There's been complications and… You might need to prepare yourself. I've talked to His Royal highness and he too is preparing", said Acerola. 

"Why are you talking like he is going to pass away?" 

"In his state right now, it's hard to say if he would be able to make it, Chloe. It's been quite some weeks and there's no sign of him recovering", said Chrysa. 

"Why is he ill?"

"There were a few contributing factors. One, he is pregnant and second, he is also using his magic to deepen the soul contract. The babies are hardly the one causing most harm. If we can sever the soul contract, then his condition will stabilize again", explained Acerola. 

"P-Pregnant? Soul contract?" Chloe stuttered. She never thought that the situation had gone out of control in the harem. She wasn't magically inclined but she had heard about terrible things that could happen to the people who were tied in such a way. 

Chrysa and Acerola waited for Chloe letting the information sink in. 

"What can I do to help him?" she asked after a while of silence. 

"We can't do anything else besides wishing for his recovery", Chrysa admitted that they couldn't find a way to help Goh. Ever since he was ill and bedridden, they couldn't make progress with the research on how to break the soul contract. Most of their time went to nursing him back to health. 

Chloe put down the fork she was holding. The funnel cake that was delicious to taste before became flavourless at the grievous news of her friend. 

"Goh…" she mumbled, wondering if his time was closing in. 

\--------

Later that evening, Chrysa and Acerola were ensuring that Goh was taken care of. His lips were starting to peel with dry skin while his cheeks had started to drain of colours. 

"I never thought I would be this sick", he said weakly. "And it's all because I allowed the sealing to happen. I should've known". 

"Your highness will recover, I'm sure of this", Acerola tried to cheer him up. 

They had told him about the stage the soul contract was currently in and the king accepted the explanation without much of a counter. He might not be aware of it going through the third stage but maybe it was what he had wished for. 

The king weakly chuckled, his hand rested on his stomach. 

"They're growing so big. I can feel them kicking sometimes", he said, taking in the moment that he never thought he would get to experience. 

"My king…" Chrysa whispered. 

"I'll try to live as long as I can but if anything were to happen, take them back to Vermillion. They'll take after the throne", said Goh. 

"Your Highness, please. We'll find a way to help you recover. All we need to do is figure out how to break the soul contract", said Acerola. 

Chrysa and Acerola exchanged worried glances. 

On the next day, Yadon Kingdom's royal doctor came in to check on Goh's condition. He told them that his pulse was weakening. He told them that he didn't have a remedy for the strange illness and that he had tried everything he could. 

After the royal doctor visited, the queen mother made her visit. When she saw how pale the skin of the royal consort, she wept, wondering if it was all her fault that the princess had gotten into such a state. 

She sat next to Princess Gou, holding her by her hand. 

"We're truly sorry", the queen mother said, apologizing to the princess. 

"You're not at fault, Her Majesty. It's me that needs to apologize. If only I could", said Goh. 

"Please, tell me anything. Let me know if there is something we can do for you". 

"It's fine", said Goh, declining her gesture. 

The queen mother made her decision that night. She called for the royal caller and told them to go around the kingdom to let the citizens know that if there would be anyone who could heal the princess, they would be given land, gold and status. 

The door would be open for them in two days after the announcement. 

The news about the princess and the strange illness spread across the country like wildfire. The healers in the country made their way to gather at Yadon Palace in order to cure the princess' sickness. 

The queen mother watched for the next few days a great number of healers from all over the kingdom coming in to try to drive the illness away. They tried various methods but nothing was working for the consort. 

"Please, find a cure", she pleaded every healer that came in. 

As time went by, a boy wearing a fox mask, wielding a sword appeared in the queen's throne room. He kneeled at the queen, requesting that he was given a chance to assist. 

"I am here to heal the princess", he said with strong determination in his voice. 


	38. Scarlet Sky

A day after the announcement, Chloe was practicing her sword techniques in the forest but she couldn't remain focused. She had been dodging the booby traps set by Kabu in the area and making clean cuts with her katana on trees that had red strings on them. Everything looked fine to an amateur's eyes but not to her who knew she could do better. If Kabu were to see her sloppy cuts, he would give her an hour long lecture. 

As she swung her katana to turn the branches into smaller pieces, she realized how her movement was not her usual grace. She could feel her cuts missing a few inches of the target and giving up, Chloe let the net booby trap to confine her within its netting. It scooped her upwards but the swing offered her a therapeutic moment from her current worry. 

"Oi, Chloe, what are you doing?" Raihan asked, miming a poke on Chloe's cheek even if it didn't have an effect on her. 

"Wallowing in self pity. I have a friend who is obviously very ill and I have no means of helping him". 

"Oh, that friend the two witches were talking about?" 

"Quit calling them that. They're nice people", Chloe retorted but without real anger in it. 

"So you want to help your friend but you don't know how", Raihan rephrased what she had just told him. 

"They said if we can sever the soul contract, he will be well again. I am not a magician. I can't help when the problem is to do with magic". 

"What do you mean you can't? Do you have short memories or something?"

"Are you kidding me? Here I am telling you what I'm worried about and you mock me instead?" Chloe glared at Raihan. The poltergeist should learn how to read the mood before speaking. If anything , she needed comforting words from him. 

"Excuse me? I should be the one feeling offended. Don't you remember what kind of sword I am? I'm Raihan, the katana that can cut through **anything!** " 

"How can you cut something that's not visible? It sounds absurd". 

Raihan sighed and shook his head, disappointed that Chloe was doubting him. 

"Alright, let's do a demonstration but first, get yourself down from the netting". 

Chloe did as she was told and eventhough she was supposed to return to the dojo since it was getting late, she walked to a river instead as instructed as Raihan. At the river, Raihan told her to imagine an object that she thought did not exist in front of her. 

"What kind of object?"

"Like, maybe a shooting star. Yeah, a shooting star doesn't exist in your sight right now. So imagine you are cutting a shooting star". 

"How can I cut a shooting star when none is coming towards us?" Chloe scoffed at him. 

"Just do it. I want to demonstrate to you what a legendary sword can do". 

Chloe imagined a shooting star in her head. She made the canvas in her head and a single star was moving on the canvas. She breathed in, waited for the energy to envelop her fingers and struck the sword in a slash. 

When she opened her eyes, the sky was divided by the orange of the sun and the darkness of the night. In the dark sky, she could see a shooting star breaking apart, creating thousands of light trails like a star shower. 

"That, my Chloe is how you cut things that you cannot see". Raihan flew closer to her. 

"That's just coincidence", said Chloe. 

"Nope. You sent me to the stars for me to cut it. Do you understand how it works?" 

"I am not sure I follow". 

"Okay, let's go over it one more time. When you imagine what you want to cut, you imagine a star. You don't see the star yourself and nor do you know which star you want to cut but your mind created the thing you want to cut nor do you know the actual shape of them. They are spherical by the way. When you whip the katana in a slash, you are actually sending me in your stead to cut something you never see before. Then, I cut it just like that", said Raihan. 

"You can do that?" asked Chloe, not sure if she understood what Raihan was telling her. 

"It's called mind projection slash. It's unbelievably hard to understand and explain but it's very easy to do". 

"Then… can we really try to sever the soul contract ?" Chloe's eyes began to see the silver lining in the sky. 

"Sure. You want to cut magic, correct? It's even easier to do than what you just did". 

When the royal palace announced throughout the kingdom that if they were able to heal the princess, they would be given land, gold and title, it was like luck was on her side. 

With the opportunity presenting right in front of her, Chloe made a preparation to enter the castle. She bought a mask to hide her identity and a yukata to be worn to the palace. 

One day while preparing to go to the palace, Lillie came into the boy's room. Chloe was alone at that time and was cleaning the dust on the sheath. 

Lillie came up to her, looking all agitated but as usual, Chloe paid no attention to her when she was focusing on the katana care routine. 

"Princess Chloe, I have something to say".

The katana in her hand dropped in a thud and she turned to look at the girl at the doorway. 

\------------

That day, when Lillie had tried to stop Sota from going to the capital, she had been so irritated by the thought of being left behind that she had followed the boy to the capital. Sota was a fast runner but she tried her best to not lose him in the crowd, keeping an eye on which direction he was going. 

She lost Sota for a while and was searching for him. Nearby the city square, she saw him sitting next to a window. Immediately, she dodged their view and sat underneath the window. 

She heard Sota being addressed as Princess Chloe and Sota had acknowledged it. She let out a small gasp before quickly covered her mouth in panic but her voice was so quiet that they probably thought it was from other patrons in the shop. 

She listened into the conversation. About the king who was pregnant (What magic is this?) and about his bad health. Lillie was trying her best to keep her silence. There were too many details spoken between them and it shocked her. 

When she found herself back in the mansion, she sat on her bed, thinking how she should broach the subject. Sota, whom she found out to be Princess Chloe, must have hidden her identity for a very important reason. It felt like she didn't lie because she wanted to but she hid it because she had to. 

But what could be the reason? And what matters most was how did she feel about it? 

There was one thing for sure - even after learning of her real identity, she still felt the same way. 

Lillie didn't know why she could not just erase it. Her thirteen years old heart that barely knew the feelings of crushing was hard to change. 

And so, she wanted to properly give it up. When she found Chloe cleaning her sword one day, she made herself known and waited for her to acknowledge Lillie's presence. 

"Princess Chloe, I have something to say".

The sword in her hand was carelessly dropped. When she made no sound, Lillie continued. 

"I-I still like you", she said.

"Hm".

"Is that all?" asked Lillie at the short response. 

"Just give it up, Lillie", Chloe said without turning her back. "but please, don't tell anyone about this". 

"I-I want to give up. Believe me", said Lillie before she dashed out of the room. Lillie ran into the garden and across the meadow. Her legs won't stop carrying her forward. 

_Give it up!_ She cried in her head and soon it manifested in her eyes. 

It hurt. It hurt her so much. Lillie didn't know how long she had been running but her foot was caught by an uneven ground surface and she tripped and fell. 

_What a bad day._ Her chest rumbled from the crying and she gathered the grasses in her fist, wailing her frustration. 

She didn't want to see Chloe and so she avoided her afterwards. 

Then one day, when she opened the boy's bedroom door, she realized the spot that used to be occupied by Chloe was empty. 

It was a lonely sight. She would never see her again. 

\---------

On the decided day, Chloe committed to her pursuit to save Goh. She wore the yukata and left the room after cleaning her place up. It was still dark outside and she could leave without anyone noticing. 

Lillie had kept her secret. She avoided Chloe for some days but she hadn't told anyone about her which she was thankful for. Chloe wanted to say goodbye, this is where they would part. She had an inkling that she wouldn't return to the mansion again after today. 

She wrapped a second sash around her yukata and tucked her katana on the sash belting. She made a small note explaining that she was going to where her destiny was calling and that she might not return. 

Raihan had read the message she had written. It's a goodbye for them. 

Then she left the mansion without making noise. On her way to the palace, there were also a number of people in unusual getups walking towards the palace. She was also donning a fox mask, her choice of outfit was just as bad as them. 

They were probably healers that had come in groups to answer the call. She went inside the palace ground before the group and told a eunuch in charge of leading people to the harem site that she was there to heal the princess. 

The eunuch led her to the queen's throne room in the harem. It was her first time to see such a magnificent design and when she was faced with the queen, she kneeled in front of her in respect. 

"Child, what has brought you here?" said the queen mother, astounded by the youngster who had come to take up the challenge. 

"I am here to heal the princess", said Chloe. This time for sure she would save him with Raihan's help. 

\-----------

The tavern of the pirates was brimming with visitors again at night. A month had passed since their last meeting and as promised, they were gathered again to talk about their plan to create havoc on the palace ground as they looted for the gold and silver in the treasuries . 

That morning was the morning of the announcement and some of them had heard from the town criers about the queen's invitation to call for healers across the country to cure a bedridden princess. One of Galikali's underlings had heard about them too and the palace that was rarely opened to the citizens had finally made an event to suit their purpose. 

There were at least a good thirty of them inside the tavern and they were sitting at a long table, some were standing when there wasn't space, holding a stronghold of the beer and cheering when the bards were singing the songs of the sea. 

"Aye, you're here lad!" 

"Good to see ya fellas again!" 

"Aye, you too lad!" 

"Cmon, gather around!!!" 

They formed a big circle around the table, each head lowered to listen into the plan. 

"Ye got the news this morning?" asked the head of the pack. The man who was burly and big and his moustache ran down to his chest. He had an eyepatch on and his crooked teeth were shown to the world as he grinned. 

"Aye, the palace calling for em healers!" 

A few muttered how they had heard about it as well.

"Think! We can use this thing to enter the palace!" 

"Ahhh!!!" all of them made the noise except for Galikali's group who was watching the whole cinematic silently.

"So we dress like em healers. We hide our weapons and then, we strike!" 

"Aye, good idea", said the pirates. 

"But what do em healers wear?" 

In the first place, they had no idea how healers would look like. And so they made up a plan : to observe for the first few days on how they should act and wear to pose as a healer. 

Galikali was quite impressed how the group of pirates worked. They were very careful in executing their plan and each detail was taken care of. The years of experiences must have taught them to hit when it was the right time and when they were fully prepared. 

The pirate group gathered every night after that to share their findings. "The healers, em wearing em mask or face cover".

"They don't talk much.Followed one of em and they just sit there all mute", said another. 

"Easy then! We go in, say we healing em princess and then take all those treasures!" 

"When do we start burning?" 

"We start burning when you hear this gunshot!" 

"Oooo". 

The gunshot became a sign to start the chaos. 

Galikali prepared a gun loaded with gunpowder to be brought on the day. While the pirates would have their own, he planned to use them as means of escape after he captured the king. He would send the signal before the leader made the shot to create the ruckus.

On the promised day, he and his team was wearing a black robe, covering half of their faces. They were walking to the palace when they were passed by a boy in a fox mask. They watched him interacting with the eunuch and waited for their turn to be entertained. 

Most of them pretended to find the palace interesting and began to scatter away, leaving only three of them in the place to wait for the eunuch. Galikali sent out four of his underlings while he ordered two of them to hide and to follow him when he made the move to make it as if he was contributing. 

When the eunuch was not making his return and the guards were changing shifts which they hadn't known earlier on about but worked in their advantage, Galikali went to the palace entrance and shot his gun. 

A few minutes later, smokes roused in the air, indicating that some parts of the palace had started to be burnt down. While the leader of the pirates were confused, he just took the opportunity to create havoc. 

"Let's begin", said Galikali and proceeded to find his way to the harem.

\-------------

Ash and Pikachu, accompanied by his Royal Guard, High General Kukui, had been on the journey back home for a week. They had made short stops to rest but compensate for the distance they lost when they were moving again. The journey that would usually take two weeks was compressed down to just a week. 

The long ride home paid off when they saw the capital gate. The soldiers taking care of the gate, lowered the gate for them. Immediately, they made haste to the palace on the back of the rapidash. They were half way through the capital when the king and his royal guard spotted a growing smoke coming from the palace. 

"The palace, it's burning down!" Ash heard one of the soldiers shouted as they carried buckets of water towards the palace. 

General Kukui stopped one of them. 

"H-High general!" the soldier saluted at the sight of him. 

"What's happening?" asked Kukui. 

"The palace is under attack! A group of people had infiltrated and set the buildings on fire, " said the soldier. 

Ash didn't wait for the rest of the explanation and rode the Rapidash in a sprint towards the palace ground. Kukui followed behind him closely. When they arrived at the palace gate, they could see a large number of servants and slaves fleeing the palace courtyard. 

He was about to head for the harem site when his Rapidash was shot with an arrow and it tossed him to the ground. Pikachu managed to land next to him and went to check on his partner. 

"I'm alright Pikachu, thanks", he said and collected himself. 

Another arrow was shot at him and he pulled his sword, cutting the incoming arrow into a clean half. It was a narrow dodge and carefully, he searched for the archer that had come to attack him. 

When he saw the man, he instructed Pikachu to use thunderbolts to strike at the target. The man dodged the strike and whistled to summon his own pokemon, a Fearow. He mounted the fearow and began to shoot arrows from above. 

Ash leapt out of the way and when he spotted a broken pillar leaning to the roof, he climbed it to enclose their distance. 

"Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" he ordered when the Fearow was within their attack range. It lost control of its body due to paralyzation and fell. Ash used the opportunity to land a blow. 

The man he noted was wearing a black robe and a face cover. He pulled the cover, revealing the person underneath it. 

"Who are you?" asked Ash. He made the demand while putting the sword by the man's neck. 

"I'll tell you! But spare me. I'm only doing this for money!" 

"Who. Are. You? I won't repeat myself after this". 

"I'm hired by a man called Galikali. It was his plan that we assaulted the palace. He said he was looking for a king!" 

"I am the king of this palace! What do you want from me?"

"No, no, no His Majesty. It's not you that he was searching! He was searching for the King of Vermillion!!!" 

King of Vermillion? Right here in Yadon? If they were to receive a guest from one of the alliance kingdom, then he would be informed by the queen even if there was a war going on. 

"There isn't a king that had come to visit my palace during this time! Are you trying to lie to me?" 

"I wasn't lying! I was only following orders from a leader. Galikali told me the king is in the harem and honestly, I think I might be set up for this!" 

Ash pulled back his sword from the neck of the archer and hit his head with the back of his handle until the archer lost his consciousness. General Kukui who had been roaring commands to his soldiers to bring pails of water from a nearby source, found the king in a state of deep thought on the roof standing next to a fainted man. 

"King Goh is here", said Ash to General Kukui. His voice was cold despite the heat of the burning ground. 

"What do you mean, His Majesty?" 

Ash had solved the scattered clues. The dreams, the soul contract and the assaulter's confession. It all made sense. A veil had been put over his eyes to hide a lie that had always been there all along. 

The King of Vermillion had magic. He can turn himself into anything. Or something that would fit inside the harem. That being said, he was one of the consort and who else if not in the form of Princess of Vermillion?

"It just suddenly fits. All this time, I **had** been lied to". 

"His Majesty, I don't quite follow". 

Ash's chest vibrated with his laughter. He was a foolish man. Then he just felt anger rising from underneath his skin. 

"I took his first kiss and he was crying. Why? Because he knew that I had unintentionally made a soul contract with him. 

Then the dream. We were at a fucking sealing stage. He met me there because he couldn't face himself for what he had done and even in a dream, he hid himself. 

I feel guilty, he said. I had been lying, he said. What if I'm gone? What if I found out the truth? **He came into dreams like a coward, hiding himself, because he was too afraid of telling me the truth** ". 

His voice was cracking when he said those words. His hands were shaking from his wrath, so deeply cut was his trust. 

"All this time, I had been in love with the same person and I still fucking do". 

It was all too much to process. The taxing journey finally claimed his sight and his world was spinning. 

"His Majesty!" 

Kukui caught the king who had suddenly collapsed. 

"His Majesty! HIS MAJESTY!" 


	39. As a King's Subordinates

Raihan was restless. He kept shaking and making clunking sounds around her waist as the steel rattled against the sheath. Not understanding what was happening, Chloe tightened her grasp around it to keep the katana steady. 

When Chloe entered Goh's chamber, her identity was immediately known by Chrysa, Yamper, Raboot and Acerola. They were all surprised to see her coming to the harem wielding a sword. The katana on her waist was still vibrating looking as if it was alive. 

The guards closed the door for them and they were free to talk "Your highness! What are you doing here?" 

"I've come to heal Goh. I know I have the means to", said Chloe, affirming that her goal was one and she won't return until Goh was saved. 

"How can you possibly do anything without magic, your highness?" Acerola was becoming concerned by the princess' statements. Chloe undid the sheath from her yukata sash and thrust the katana their way. 

"This is Raihan. He will help me sever the soul contract", she explained. The rattling still persisted but she kept a firm ground. 

Their conversation was cut short when they heard loud screaming outside of the chamber. Chloe, Chrysa and Acerola went outside to check on the commotion. It was a bizarre sight, watching the consorts, eunuch and slaves hurrying to the harem's exit gates. 

They heard a soldier screaming that the palace was under attack. 

Not all of the consorts successfully left. She saw a few had their chest pierced through and it was then when Acerola saw Serena, holding her baby, being pulled by a dirty man. She struggled to let go but the man was stronger than her and he jerked her forward. Serena tightly held Bella while the baby was crying from the shock. Acerola went ahead to rescue them . 

"Curse magic, Severing Needles!" she threw the needles to hit the man's wrist and his hand was cut from his body. Serena screamed at the sight and fell on her back, traumatized. 

"My princess, please, you have to quickly flee the area with the baby!" said Acerola, helping her to stand. 

"But my feet, it's trembling too much!" 

"You can do this princess. I will help you". She took two needles, making a sewing motion of invisible thread on her legs. 

"Curse Magic: Fear subjugation". Immediately Serena felt the fear gone. She cradled her baby trying to calm her down. 

"Leave, my princess". 

Serena's eyes landed on the chamber. Inside it, Gou was still bedridden from her illness. "What about Princess Gou?" 

"We'll take care of her, your highness. Have trust in us". 

The royal consort hesitated for a while but when Acerola gave her another encouragement , she made a run for it with her daughter. The queen mother had long been evacuated from the palace and meanwhile, it was just them that was left in the area. Acerola quickly rejoined Chrysa, Raboot, Chloe and Yamper. 

"I think we should flee this place. It's a chance that we might not get after this", said Chrysa. 

"But how can we carry His Majesty?" Acerola looked at the group. There were only a child, women and small pokemons. They won't be able to move the king easily. 

"Did somebody say His Majesty?! I've been looking for him. Never thought that he had become a woman. That dastardly magician was right that he is here as a consort!" 

Chrysa, Acerola, Chloe and Raboot were on guard when a man walked inside the chamber. He was wearing a black robe and his eyes penetrated into their souls, instilling fear. 

"Who are you?" asked Acerola. The man lifted his tatooed palm as a greeting. 

"Ecruteak slave! What are you doing here?" 

"To claim my glory and my ticket to that wealth is apparently, your bedridden king. It surprised me that the princess is actually the King of Vermillion". 

"Back off", Acerola warned him when he took a step forward. 

"How fearsome but not enough to stop me". 

Another two men crashed in from the rooftop and began to engage them in battle. Raboot and Yamper were faced with an opponent, Chrysa and Chloe would face another opponent and Acerola would be facing Galikali. 

Galikali pulled out a number of knives from underneath his robe and darted them to Acerola. She countered the knives with her own needles. 

"Curse Magic: Binding Curse!" she said and the strings streamed out from the needle to latch on the man. 

Galikali leapt away from the strings. "Same trick again?" 

"You're that man who attacked me that night!" Acerola put the pieces together. 

They exchanged attacks and defenses. Galikali thought of a target that would take her by surprise. 

"You're a lot more foolish than I thought", Galikali said and changed his course counter clockwise, darting a knife to hit the king. 

Acerola turned around in that moment to counter the knife but she was too far away to break the knife path. It was like the world was in slow motion. Galikali was aiming his throws at Acerola as she tried to save the king. 

The knife was only an inch away from hitting the king. A flash of light blinded them and the knife was then thrown away from its target. The knife targeting Acerola was struck by Yamper's lightning and it fell with a soft clink onto the floor. 

A pokemon, taller than it was before, stood there with its chest puffed forward in its mighty stand. 

"Cinderace!" (Acerola, don't let your guard down!) 

"Lord Raboot…. No, Lord Cinderace. Watch over the king, please", she said. 

"Cind!" (I won't let you down!) 

\--------

Lord Raboot together with Yamper worked together to take down the woman who was using her Chansey and Skarmory to send attacks at them.. Chansey aimed its attacks on Yamper while Skarmory was using Aerial Ace to bring Raboot down. 

Raboot thought of a plan. He told Yamper to drive the Chansey and Skarmory into one corner and if he could execute that they would be able to combine their attacks onto both of their targets. 

Yamper made a circle around Chansey, giving it a tackle when it could to annoy the Chansey. Chansey responded by using dazzling gleam but it missed. So it moved forward to pound at Yamper but Yamper jumped backwards, baiting it to chase after the small dog. 

Meanwhile Raboot was dealing with Skarmory Aerial Ace. It quickly retorted with ember and while some grazed the Skarmory, the other of its attack missed. Raboot wanted to be stronger. Stronger and stronger because it wouldn't be able to protect Goh if it was weak. 

The Skarmory dove to use steel wings and Raboot used that moment to make contact with Skarmory, taking the attack but exchanging it with a strong high jump kick to send the Skarmory to knock the Chansey. 

Raboot and Yamper combined their attacks and fainted the two pokemons. The woman who was the master of the two, grounded her teeth and left the scene. 

It was then when Raboot saw a knife being thrown at Goh. At that moment, its heart was pumping so fast as it tried to chase the knife, hoping that it would be able to shield the king. 

"Raab!" (Faster!) Raboot told its feet to move faster. 

"RAAB!" (I SAID FASTER!!) It screamed when the knife was only inch away from the king. 

In that moment, he felt his heart pumping faster as his body became stronger. He sped up his running and kicked the knife away,barely avoiding the king when it landed. 

It could feel the strength running through its veins. "Cinderace..." (So this is my final form). 

Then with this form, Lord Cinderace promised that he would protect the king. They would leave the place safely. 

\----------

It was too cramped to fight inside the chamber and so Chloe and Chrysa moved their fight outside of it. Chrya's back was touching Chloe's back: the enemy they were fighting wielded his sword with such an electrifying speed that it made it seem as if he was invisible to the eye. 

"I'm a support magician, your highness. My power is not suitable for active attacks on enemies", said Chrysa. 

Chloe deflected a slash that was sent her way. Kabu had taught her how to sense the air movement, which was a trace that was impossible to hide to predict the direction the enemy was coming from. She was thankful to learn under a master such as him. 

"What can you do to support me?" asked Chloe, trying to get better understanding of Chrysa's magic. 

"I can use dream goblin on you to increase your stamina. That way, you can be faster than him", said Chrysa. 

"Then, support me that way". 

Chrysa called forth her dream goblin and latched it on Chloe's back. Chloe could feel her breathing became less laborious and she began to actively send her own attacks to the enemy. Their swords clashed as it crossed steel to steel, creating sparks of fire and Chloe delivered a strike meant to hit by lowering her body and slashing forward at the same time targeting the abdomen. 

It grazed the enemy, giving her an idea to use gravity to her own advantage. when she was delivered her attacks, she purposefully gave a strike so low that she could dodge his attack as well as connect with her own. 

"Raihan", she called to her katana. "How can I precisely cut an enemy that keeps moving about?" 

"Pay attention to his movement pattern. You might be able to see an opening". 

Chloe crossed her katana with the swordsman a few times. Then she noticed, when he was changing his direction an attack, he often would lift his sword direction to counterbalance the change. 

Chloe waited for the opening while drawing careful attacks in the swordsman. When he was about to change direction again, Chloe reversed her swing, turned her body counter clockwise and delivered a clean cut across his chest. 

The person's body was split into half, his internal organs could be seen bleeding. When the two parts fell down like a broken puppet made of flesh, blood pooled underneath them, lurching a gag from the sight and scent of blood. Raihan's steel was dripping red and Chloe covered her mouth. 

"I-I killed him", Chloe said in shock. 

"In a battle of life and death, the one who lost would be the fallen", said Raihan. This was Chloe's first taste of killing. She ought to know that wielding a sword often resulted with somebody's death. 

"Chloe, in this world of fighting, you would be severing a life from its body. You have to remember this", said Raihan, trying to offer her advice. He had said it to every master who wielded him. The first kill always hit them the hardest. 

"But can I pray for him?" asked Chloe sadly. She could still feel her fingers slightly trembling from the aftershock. She knew this was the scene she had to get used to in this lifetime. 

"There's no stopping for you from doing that. Pray to Arceus for a good afterlife for him", said Raihan. The two offered a small prayer, hoping that it would be a small piece of tribute to the fallen one. 


	40. Unshuckle

The fire danced in the sky, burning red melded its colour with the smog. Small fire ate at the wood, fuelling it to be bigger, smothering the courtyards with intense heat. Soldiers who were still able handle the heat beyond the boiling point brought pails of water to the palace to douse the fire. Those who had water pokemons would try to control the big flame from growing bigger. 

Acerola knew she couldn't risk having the fight prolonged any longer. Galikali who looked unaffected at first was caught staggering from the throat burning heat. The flame was approaching closer, eating away at buildings in its path. 

She had one more move left, in which she would only use it in critical situations such as this. The magic used a span of her lifetime and she didn't like using it too much but they were chasing the minutes before the area would be consumed by fire. 

The magic had two parts - to create and to execute. She took her needles, crying out loud, "Curse Magic: Voodoo Creation". 

Her strings began to copy the image of Galikali and created a still form clone of him. Behind its back, his name was written in the words of magician writings. 

"Galikali is your name, huh?" she smirked. 

"So what if you know my name?" 

Acerola pinned her needles onto the still form. When she knew his names, she now owns the right to do as she pleased to her target. 

"Curse Magic: Voodoo Execution", she said. The real self and the still body synced and became the same person. Whatever she did on the still body, the target will suffer the same fate. 

She folded the still body like a piece of origami, first the arms, then the legs. It was grotesque the way his bone was crushing and his muscle was tearing as it followed the movement puppeteered by Acerola. 

Galikali watched in horror as his body automatically followed what Acerola had done to the still form. Acerola folded him until he became in the shape of a box, breaking every bone in his body. They cracked and squashed his internal until only bloodcurling screams could be heard. 

"Curse you, Magician!" 

He died from organ bleeding, the blood flowing out from his mouth, nasal, ears and eyes. Acerola looked at him with empathy . He was probably a slave who dreamt to become a free man - who wanted status, land and money to improve his social standing. 

That's what drove him to chase after the king.

"I'm sure my king would have a plan for Ecruteak's threats. Your death now won't be wasted", she said. 

"Cinderace!" (We should leave. The fire is heading this way) 

Cinderace wrapped a blanket around Goh and hoisted him carefully. They were lucky- everyone now was gathered at the same place. Using this opportunity to leave Yadon, Cinderace, Acerola Chrysa, Chloe, Yamper along with Goh, they made their escape from Yadon Grand Palace. Minikyu brought Acerola's pouch with it containing the crystal ball. 

With Cinderace being their lead, they were headed towards The Cave of Unheeding Boars. 

\-------------

Four hours and they were running non stop to the cave where the Pallet Temple was. Cinderace was careful to land softly on its feet as it moved the king with it. They had left the palace ground and the chaos provided a diversion for them to leave the palace undetected. If they weren't in the count, then the Vermillion representatives could all be considered dead by the fire. 

From here onwards, they would be a refuge. When they got closer to the cave, the temperature began to drop and Cinderace provided warmth by lighting a few wooden torches for them to carry throughout the pathway into the place where the temple was located.

When they arrived, the tiers of waterfall greeted them and all of them breathed a sigh of relief for having made it to the temple safely. 

"Cinderace". (We can take a break here)

Cinderace put down the king who was still sleeping. The king didn't fare too well with the rising temperature of the fire previously and so, his breathing was also uneven. 

Minikyu found berries for them to rejuvenate their energy and they let their hurting legs stretched out for a while. 

"I remember the king talking about this place for having high concentration of magic. I can feel my magical energy healing. It really is a blessed area", said Chrysa. 

Acerola checked Goh and noticed that some of his colours werr returning. "He is also taking in the magic from this temple". 

"I wonder if he will wake up?" asked Chloe. "I think he slept too much while all of us are working hard to cover his back. Mou". 

"We have to wait until he gathers enough for himself. Then maybe he will open his eyes", said Chrysa, laughing at Chloe's commentary. It had been a while since she last saw Chloe complaining about Goh. 

"Chrysa, Acerola. About the soul contract. I think we should give it a try", Chloe brought up the initial purpose that brought her to the palace. 

"How can we do that with just a sword?" asked Acerola, eyeing the katana. 

"Raihan is a special katana. It is one of the legendary swords. His specialty is to cut through anything", explained Chloe to them. Raihan was still rattling on her side, a phenomenon she couldn't understand. 

"Cut through anything?" asked Chrysa in disbelief. 

"Raihan taught me a technique called the mind projection slash. It's one of the concentration techniques that allows me to sever anything that I have never seen before".

Acerola and Chrysa listened to her explanation and they discussed among themselves if it was worth a shot. Seeing how they would lose nothing, they both agreed that Chloe should give it a try.

Chloe drew her katana from the sheath, got into a striking pose and closed her eyes. She let the sound of the water sunk into her mind and imagined a thread linking two entities. The linking thread would be the soul contract. 

She felt her blood flowing through her body, her fingertips tingling with Raihan's energy. Taking in the air slowly, she made a cutting motion to sever the link she imagined in her mind. 

Even when there was no sound, she could hear the snap echoing from the back of her mind. 

The thread had now been cleanly severed. 

\------------

Ash found himself returning to the dream he often had. He was still looking directly at a ten years old boy who was pleased to see him again like every other night. Only this time, Ash's heart throbbed at the sight from pain and also his unconditional love for the other. 

He grabbed ahold of Goh's wrist and pulled him forward to give him a kiss on his forehead. He acknowledged this feeling he had and wanted to show it openly. 

"W-What are you doing?" asked Goh unsure what was happening. It was sudden and he felt his non-existing self flustering from the gesture. 

"I know who you are, Goh", said Ash as he looked squarely at the other. 

"Of course you knew. We met every night and I told you about myself". 

"No, you haven't. I know why you don't remember the reason why you're here. Or what you want to tell me but I don't need you to tell me. Knowledge doesn't just come from you or here",said Ash, tightening his hold on Goh's wrist. 

"Stop, you're hurting me!" 

Ash wanted to bring out the truth and so he said, "Stop hiding yourself!" 

Goh shook his wrist, trying to get Ash off him. He didn't understand it - the reason behind Ash's words. " Please, Ash. Just let go!" 

Ash knew he had to communicate it clearly but he couldn't do it when Goh was locking himself away from him. Pleading, he tried to break the case Goh was hiding in. "Talk to me! Talk to me, please. I know you're in there somewhere. Hiding yourself would get us nowhere!" 

Goh tried to let loose his wrist but Ash's monstrous strength was keeping him confined. 

"Ash, don't be so forceful! You're hurting me!" 

"Goh, you have to remember. Be honest. I need you to talk to me". 

"LET GO!!!" 

It was at that moment when Goh was snatched from behind and tossed onto the ground by a strange man, one he had never seen before. 

"Yo, sorry to interrupt but we have to end this small meetup". 

The man drew a sword and made a move to slash the air. Something in Ash told him to launch himself at the stranger to stop him from finishing his cut. 

The move had almost caused him to be the victim of the man's katana but it was at that moment, the katana was countered by a heavy long sword held by a man in gold armour. 

Raihan jumped back and whistled. "That's some kick ass moves you got there". 

"I cannot allow the katana of yours to slash my master. Only my sword can stop your powerful cut with my aura cloak". 

Raihan dawned with understanding. 

"You know about me. Ah, makes sense. You are the fourth sword, the one created after me and the one who claimed my glory as rightfully yours!" 

"The name is Leon". 

Raihan glanced at Ash who was too stiff to move at the sight of Leon. It seemed the owner himself was taken aback by Leon's sudden introduction. 

"So, this guy right here is your master?" 

Leon nodded. Raihan could feel his palm becoming sweaty. How on earth can these two boys get themselves together in the first place? To think that they were brewing something in a cauldron. 

Leon, the fourth sword could only be wielded by the first master's direct descendant. That made the boy behind Leon a direct descendant of aura. 

From earlier on, when Chloe walked into the consort chamber, he already knew the descendant of the witch was inside it. Then that made the boy behind him the witch's spawn. 

_Seriously. Just when you thought you can split the powers forever._

"Wow, you guys are seriously bad news!" 

"I guess they are unnecessarily reckless", Leon agreed. 

"The name is Raihan", Raihan told Leon of his name. 

"Since we're on the opposing side, I guess we are becoming enemies",said Leon. 

There was another thing that he sensed in the consort's chamber - an eerie energy, the one he had meant to cut centuries ago. 

"Sorry, but I have to take this magic boy away from you lots. And let me tell you this, the witch power, I can sense it in him", said Raihan, pointing at Goh who was still too afraid to move. 

"It was a careless mistake and a miscalculation", admitted Leon. When a history was long forgotten, it usually would make its return. 

"Then, we'll meet again in battlefields", Raihan gave him a salute and completed the cut that was previously stopped by Leon. 

He severed it. The soul contract was now erased completely. 


	41. Mew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're 1 chapter off from part 1 haha. 😂

Pallet Temple was a temple that used to be a worshipping place for the descendants of aura. Two pokemons, Celebi and Mew, became the guardians of the temple and had been for centuries. While Celebi preserved the old history within it to be handed down through generations , Mew ensured that the temple and its surrounding was well protected. It often was seen to make its visit during moonless nights and around that time, the pokemons in the forest would come out to play at the temple site. 

As of the time this story took place, the worshipping site had long been abandoned by the descendants as they spread around the globe, intermixing their bloodlines until it was gradually attenuated as a result of power struggles among themselves. 

The temple was at a point rediscovered by a scholar about a hundred years before the reigns of the two kings. A scholar who was from the descendants of aura made a record to trace back his origin and the temple's origin. He seeked high and low for it and finally, when he was nearing his old age, he uncovered the temple site. 

He kept a record of the site in a journal and the only copy of it was kept inside Yadon Palace king's study. Later on, as we soon learnt from this saga, a king who had the witch's blood running through his veins, met a series of unfortunate events that had led him to a rediscovery of the record and the temple site. 

The temple of worship was intensely concentrated with magic power and it was here where the king was shown of the past of which the witch's aura power was withdrawn from her magic power by a knight who absorbed her aura power into himself using the fourth legendary sword, Leon. 

When the powers were separated, the world returned to a balanced state until our story took place. One after another mishaps happened onto the king until it resulted in an undesirable outcome.

Was it better if the soul contract consumed him, taking away everything before a bigger threat appeared to the world? It can never be said for certain that the threat would completely disappear even if the mishaps were avoided. It was neither fault nor the fault that things had led this way.

The night after the king and his subordinates escaped from the harem palace wasn't a moonless night but something was drawing Mew out from its hiding. Mew made a visit at the site, its senses were tingling to tell it that a cursed being resided at the temple site. 

When it was flying closer to the temple, the cold energy started to become more apparent and noticeable. It was still small but it couldn't ignore it. Flying closer, it went to check the source of it. 

The temple site was occupied by strangers and the pokemons that lived inside the cave, they kept themselves hidden from view between the rocks, water and leaves, watching the strangers from afar. 

The strong energy it sensed came from a woman who was still asleep. It flew closer, looking at the bump of her stomach where the cold energy was emanating from. The mix of magic and aura gave Mew chills but the possessor of it, yet to be born, Mew sensed that she posed no real threat to the world. 

Before Mew could eradicate the unborn, a small, weak but mellow magic strewed around the auspicious energy, like it was affectionate of the other. It was this small moment that stopped Mew. This magic belonged to another unborn - he contained her aura and magic, lulling her to a dormant state. 

Mew took a liking of him instantly and while he was not as powerful, he was calming her. Such a rare magician this one would be - a magician that could bring life and warmth would only be born when there was a calamity looming. Deciding to accompany them, it settled itself on the bump. 

Such an enigma - the mother to the babies was also gifted and that was why they came into being. A normal magician wouldn't be able to hold two great powers such as them. Mew wondered who this woman was. 

It was then, the sleeping person yawned and opened their eyes, to meet with Mew's own. She was apprehensive at first, perhaps thinking that it was a dream but it soon became clear to her that she was looking at Mew. Not a dream apparition. 

Reaching out to pat its head, the person called its name looking mesmerized. "Mew?" 

\-------

Like being awakened from a long slumber that rejuvenated his whole body, Goh woke up feeling rather refreshed after a long sleep. He didn't know how long he had been out but he was glad that his energy was coming back after a long time of being ill, putting him in such a good mood. 

When he roused from his sleep, he yawned and stretched and felt like something additional was sitting atop of his body, squashing his bladder, giving him an intense need to go to the loo. Whatever it was sitting on him, it was causing a whole lot of discomfort. 

A mew entered his vision and he blinked. What a strange coincidence, he thought, having just awakened and thought that it was merely a dream made by his mind. He waited for the illusion to go away but it remained. Reaching out, he rubbed on the pokemon's head. 

"Mew?" 

Mew giggled and snuggled closer to the baby bump. It seemed to be affectionate of it, cradling it like it was a precious object. It was then, it lent a part of its energy as a greeting and a warm green light cloaked him. 

Goh was in daze at the bizarre moment. The pokemon streamed more of its energy to supplement him and when Goh felt himself feeling lighter, causing his body to move with ease, the pokemon snuggled at the crook of his neck. 

"Uh. What is going on?" he asked. 

Mew had decided to sleep on his shoulder and was unmoving - its tail swaying lazily to show its comfort. 

"Oh, yes. I need to… Uh", he held back from announcing his intention and quietly got up, only to realize that he wasn't in his chamber. Instead he was back in a familiar setting of The Cave of Unheeding Boars. 

Looking around, he saw Acerola, Chrysa, a boy with a sword lying close to him with Yamper snuggling at the nook of his neck and a large rabbit pokemon, Cinderace sleeping close to each other. The campfire they had set was dying out and there was a pile of berries on a leaf not too far from them. 

Mew was still on his shoulder and with a lot of trouble, he finished his business a little further from the group that was soundly sleeping. After washing his hand, he went to the berries to pick up some of it and began to chomp a large piece, leaving a teeth bite in it. 

The berries tasted so sweet and he gave one to Mew who peeked an eye at it before flying to retrieve the berry from him. 

"This is a very peculiar event", he said, watching Mew circling him while eating through the berry. Then, it perched again on his shoulder, lifting its paw as it squealed in happiness. 

Goh spent the rest of the night in Mew's company. He played with it, gave it berries and let it have fun greeting the babies until the sun rose and he thought that Mew would disappear by then but the pokemon was snuggling to his baby bump again and made no move to disappear. 

"Seriously, what is going on?" he looked at the pokemon, puzzled by its intention. 

It purred then sat on Goh's shoulder. "Do you want to be with us?" he asked the pokemon who responded with a snuggle. He took that as a yes and patted its head again. 

"Come with us. In Vermillion there's a lot of amazing things like magic festivals, food and people. I bet you're going to love it there", said Goh. 

Not too long after that, Goh heard rustling noise from the sleeping group. They were beginning to wake up, looking all roughed out and wearied like they had just got back from a battle scene . When they saw the king was up and about, they scrambled onto their feet haphazardly and went to check on him. 

"Are you alright, my liege?" "How are you feeling, His Majesty?" "Goh, Mou, you have us all worried!" "Cinderace" (You should rest more instead of walking around like this) 

"Please, one at a time", Goh tried to calm them down. Then, they spotted Mew that was perching on his shoulder. 

"Cinder?" (Mew?) 

Mew studied the group, its tail swaying back and forth and deciding that they were friends, it remained static but lifted a paw to greet Cinderace. 

"His Majesty had found Mew! This is great news!" said Acerola. 

"We don't. It came over and decided to come with us", explained Goh. 

"His Majesty, I'm so glad that you can walk again!" Chrysa sniffed - how long had it been since the king was looking this healthy? 

"So, who are these two?" he asked, looking at the boy and Cinderace. 

"It's Chloe! How dare you forget your own friend!" the boy retorted in annoyance. 

"Chloe? Then this must be Lord Raboot!" he said, pointing at Cinderace who was just as tall as him. 

"Cinder". (Correct, His Majesty. It is I, Lord Raboot. I am now Lord Cinderace)

Then, they sat by the ashes from the campfire and Chrysa and Acerola shared to him the stories of what happened while he was passed out from the illness. 

Chloe had come to the harem palace to save him but before she could do that, the palace ground was thrown into chaos and they used that chance to make the escape. There had been some fights with a group of strangers sent from Ecruteak - it seemed they were aiming for Goh. 

Chrysa also explained to him about the soul contract and how it had been severed. While a part of him felt saddened by the news, he knew if they were to return to the kingdom, it would be better this way. 

Chloe also explained how his staff was actually inside of her. "When I have my magic returned, I will take it back from you", he promised to release Chloe from the form she was in. 

"Thank you, His Majesty". 

It had been a while since they last carelessly addressed each other of their status. It felt wholesome and liberating to be back in a state before the chaos. 

They spent the day taking a short break in the temple site. He planned to start the opening of the portal on the day after. 

\-----------

Ash came through from a state of deep rest and was greeted by the sight of the ceiling. He was in an unfamiliar room and the bed felt foreign to him. Next to him, the queen mother and Serena were waiting for him to wake up. Pikachu was also there by his side, anxious of Ash's well-being. 

"His Majesty!" Serena lurched forward to hug him, gripping at him as her sorrowful state was made known to him. 

"Serena, what happened?" 

The Queen Mother was also weeping, her sleeves were soaked with tears. 

"The Yadon palace had been burnt to the ground", said the queen mother, " and a lot of the consorts had fallen from the fire, His Majesty". 

"What do you mean, mum?" asked Ash, trying to grasp at the reality. Yet, she was too affected to speak of it. Instead, Princess Serena, in her crying state told him of the whole picture of the incident. 

When she came to talk about Princess Gou, she couldn't string her words together. Somehow, the only sound coming from her was a choking sound of her sobbings. It had only been a few months, but Gou had been a friend. She had given her a liberation of her mind, changing her doctrine and approach towards the practices in the harem. 

But now, her friend was gone. 

"Princess Gou…", she repeated her name a few times but the word just hung. 

In the end, it was his mother who continued, despite her own weeping,"We couldn't find her. We think she may have been a victim of the fire". 

The queen mother explained to him that he had been out for two days and during that time, they tried to uncover the dead and identify them. They believed one of the corpses should belong to the princess. The rest of the royal consorts had now been housed by other nobles, lying in wait for his words. 

Ash thought about it for a while but a state of disbelief was overshadowing their stories. He refused to believe a magician could be dead from a fire. He couldn't accept it - death would be too simple for Goh. Not after learning the truth about the princess, he knew what Goh was capable of. 

"I don't believe it. Not dead. I just know it", Ash denied their suggestion of such a horrid thing. 

The Queen Mother and Princess Serena looked at him with concern in their glassy eyes. Ash must still be in a state of shock from the news. Maybe leaving him alone to grief would be best. 

"His Majesty, please take some rest. I'm sure that this must be hard on you", said Serena. It was hard on her too. Just when they were becoming really good friends and the fire happened. Her tears were flowing down at the dreadful thoughts. 

"Just watch me. When I heard the news, I will know if he's really dead", Ash told them, confidence was in his voice. He was laughing eventhough it wasn't funny. He was laughing at what a joke this had been. 

The Queen Mother shrugged the word the king used. The trauma must have shaken him that it got him confused. 

"My son, if you need me to lend you a shoulder, I am always right here for you", said the queen mother, caressing his cheek. There a lone tear trailed down his eyes ; his chest pulsating with pain he could never recover from. 

That night, as Pikachu laid asleep on his bed, Ash looked out of the window of General Kukui's mansion. The palace ground had been burnt to the ground, not a single wood escaped the fire. It would take years before the construction would be completed. 

He decided that it was time to release the consorts and brought along only those who wanted to serve him as a part of his empire to the Fire Palace of Saffron. He would give them a choice whether to be with him or to leave him. 

The empire he built would be a freedom land for everyone. 

His mind drifted to the thought of Goh. He knew they were looking at the same sky. If only he could reach Goh, he would tell him that he was still very much in love with him but he had no means to reach out to him. If he managed to leave undetected , they would be separated coast to coast. 

"I want to take you back", he said but how could he do that? He wasn't even sure if he was still alive eventhough he was confident earlier on.He just needed a sign. 

So he waited for it until the first crow of the dodo bird broke the silent morning. 


	42. Leaving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have come to the conclusion of the first part.

Goh began to make his move after a day of resting. By using Acerola's crystal ball, they communicated with Vermillion's side and planned the preparation they required for opening the portal. 

Ren instructed Acerola and Chrysa to draw a large magic circle, replicating the pattern he showed them from the crystal ball and spent two days after that extracting the energy from the surrounding to create the portal. The magic absorbed must be enough to ensure safe crossing and so they spent as much time as they could to make a stable portal. 

Above them, a disturbance in the wavelength had formed beautiful colours weaving through the sky for an hour when the portal preparation was nearing its completion on the night of the second day. 

When it was finally completed, he told them to be ready. 

"It's time, His Majesty", he signaled to King Goh that he would be tearing the dimension right on top of the circle drawn on their side. 

"Please make haste to cross, once you see the portal being opened large enough for crossing", Ren told them. 

"Can we have a minute? To say goodbye", the king asked. After contemplating, High Magician Ren told him he would have roughly ten minutes before the portal would be closed. 

Above him, the aurora wasn't a phenomenon that could be seen in Yadon Kingdom and it would strike as oddly magical for those who'd seen it. 

"Aurora Borealis, a pretty way to say goodbye", Goh said, smiling at how bittersweet this ending was for him. He would never return after this and even in the cave, it held beautiful moments of them. 

_ Stay with me _ , he recalled Ash telling him that in the water. His chest was full from it but a memory it became and he would be disappearing away just like the ray of light above him when the portal was closed. 

He looked around him, taking in one last look of it. After this, it would be only him counting up the years. 

Chrysa, Chloe, Yamper, Mew and Cinderace had crossed the portal to Vermillion. 

"His Majesty, let's go", Acerola called to him. Goh took a heavy step forward, detaching himself from Yadon. He stopped and stared, taking in the sight before letting it go. 

"I will never forget", he said to himself and entered the portal. 

When he crossed it, he was met with the sight of his comrades, his parents and High Magician Ren. They were all glad that he made it back home. 

"Welcome home, His Majesty", they said before circling him to pull him into a group hug. 

\-----------

The night sky was dyed with colours Ash had only seen once when he was in the Lumiose Kingdom. In Yadon, having rays like that painting the night sky was nearly impossible. It was unusual and he thought back of the sign he was waiting for. 

He quickly made a run from the room and grabbed the nearest Rapidash that wasn't even saddled. He was on its back and commanded it to chase the ray of light. 

The sound of the hooves clattered against the ground, the Rapidash continuously pacing across the forest, bringing him into a journey he once had, bringing a sense of familiarity in the path he was taking. 

He just knew that the light he was chasing was a sign for him but it soon slowly dissipated into the night, telling him that it was really over. 

The trail brought him to The Cave of Unheeding Boars and he saw a small patch of fireplace on the ground, a strange drawing on the ground and a blanket that belonged to the Yadon palace. 

He picked it up and his chest rumbled when his tears flowed, nor in sorrow or grief but relieved that he had not been mistaken. 

"He is still alive", Ash embraced the blanket, taking in the warmth. It was silly, crying over it but it was the only thing that remained behind. 

He didn't know how long he had stayed in the cave, sitting in the middle of all the memories they had made here. 

His body felt so heavy, the gravity was pulling him down, the Rapidash he rode roamed freely around the site for some food, waiting for him continuously until he could finally take the step forward. After two days, hungry and tired, he set on a journey back but his mind was set on an end goal he had uncovered during the time he was there. 

The King returned to Kukui's mansion on the Rapidash, bringing along the object he had found. The Queen Mother, Serena and the General were relieved at the sight of him. He was scolded and he apologized to them and called for Kukui to see him in his room. 

"His Majesty, what do you wish to speak to me about?" asked Kukui. 

"It's about our next campaign", said Ash. "I plan to spread my power until Vermillion Kingdom". 

"Subduing an ally?" asked Kukui, taken aback by Ash suddenness in his decision making. 

"There is something waiting for me in there. I want to take control of it", the king said, bunching his fingers together as he spoke. 

"But His Majesty, Vermillion has an alliance with us. We shall respect that agreement we have promised them. They just lost their princess. Shouldn't we mourn with them?"

"An alliance would require two people to talk about it. If I am not able to, then I shall conquer it". 

"His Majesty, what's going on in your mind?" 

Kukui was worried if the grief had consumed Ash to the point of losing his mind to make a sound decision. 

"I have set my eyes on it. We will expand to the North". He said it so firmly, insinuating that this decision of his would not be changed. 

Kukui nodded slowly. He couldn't agree to Ash but a king's order is absolute. "As you wish, His Majesty". 

Outside of the room, a girl was listening to their conversation. She understood what he was feeling - the lost had ripped away what remained of him. The girl promised that she would swore loyalty to this king. 

She also had a mission of her own. Gripping onto what's left, she made up her mind right then and there: she was going to be a part of his war. 

\--------

Burnett told Kukui that the morning of the fire, Sota had set out to the palace in his letter. He left behind a message for them, that he was thankful for their kindness and grace. She couldn't believe it that the next news she would hear about was the fire. 

Kukui mourned with his wife and soon, they prepared a small grave of Sota in their backyard. The ceremony was also attended by the dojo master and the other children. They all shared their memories of Sota, about all the wonderful things he had done. 

Lillie watched the funeral, wondering if Chloe was really gone. She was a princess, whose kingdom of origin Lillie knew not of and it made her heart clenched to be a part of the ceremony, knowing now she was dead. 

She left a single stalk of rose on the gravestone. "Here lies Sota", it said, concise but incomplete. 

Here lies Sota, the wondrous boy who had brought freedom for everyone. At it, they mourned, closely hugging each other to find comfort. The queen mother, the royal consort Serena and the king were there too. It was a service rightful for a princess.

Kukui, after the service, had been busy helping to manage the construction plan. He was rarely seen at home and even if he was, he would always be by the king's side talking about their next campaigns. 

Lillie had heard about their plan to expand to Vermillion. She wondered if she could join the cavalry to learn more about Chloe as she searched for more tales of her in war campaigns. There must be a trace of her up North. 

She waited for a good time to speak to Kukui. A few days later, when he was seen having his tea alone, Lillie decided to tell him her motivation, taking a seat across him. 

"Lillie?" 

"I want to say something", said Lillie. 

"What is it? Is something bothering you?" 

"No, I'm perfectly fine. I just want to ask you one thing". 

"Go on". 

"I want to join the cavalry". 

Kukui spewed the tea he was drinking at the bizarre request. "That's a little difficult of a request. Why?" 

"I have a mission. I want to learn about someone and I feel like being a part of the Cavalry unit would help me understand the person better". 

"Is it someone I know?" 

Lillie shook her head. Kukui could see her eyes blazing with fire that won't be extinguished even if he declined her. He was silent for a while - if his declination would not stop her than it would be better if she was guided by him. 

But she must know that the world wasn't all cookies and creams. 

"I will tell you this. The cavalry unit is a place that would break your heart a million times and turn you cold. Burnett stopped being a part of it because her spirit felt stained with its corruption. It's not a bed of roses". 

"I am fully aware of that". She expected that much and she wasn't going to run away just because it was tough. 

"Then if that's what you want, I will put you into the army school before you can officially join the cavalry with a letter of recommendation". 

"Thank you, General", Lillie bobbed her head. 

There was no turning back. She would be a part of the soldiers and their ranks. All for understanding who Chloe was when she was alive. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading. I'm gunna be on two weeks break before uploading the second part. See you guys then.


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